Keeping in view the rising flood threat amid continuous heavy rainfall, the Odisha government, on Saturday, issued a high alert for three districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur districts, and asked the concerned authorities to go for the evacuation of people from low-lying areas as several rivers were in spate in the region, officials said.
According to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) and Flood Control Cell, water levels of Jalaka and Baitarani rivers have already breached the danger marks, while the Subarnarekha river in Balasore district was swelling at an alarming rate, amid heavy rain in the region.
Heavy rainfall in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts has led to rising water levels in the Subarnarekha, Jalaka, and Baitarani rivers, an official confirmed.
Mayurbhanj district alone recorded 94 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, with 13 blocks receiving over 100 mm, making it one of the wettest areas, the official said.
The heavy rainfall in the Jalaka and Baitarani catchment areas has caused rapid water accumulation, leading to the inundation of several low-lying areas in Balasore district. The situation is expected to worsen today, Sunday.
Chandrasekhar Padhi, Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, said, “Basta, Bhograi, Jaleswar and Baliapal blocks of Balasore district are likely to be inundated on Sunday as the Subarnarekha river is estimated to flow above 11 metres against its danger mark of 10.36 metres.”
In response, Balasore district authorities have evacuated many residents from the Basta block to safer locations and set up an open kitchen for those affected. People in the Basta area have been urged to move to higher ground before the flood intensifies. The district administration has prepared an “inundation map” to guide evacuation efforts, the official said.
While northern Odisha districts, including Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and adjoining Jajpur district, are grappling with the deluge, there is no immediate flood threat to the Mahanadi river system, and the Brahmani river is not showing any alarming trends, according to Padhi.
The state government has deployed rescue and relief teams from the Odisha Disaster Response Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Fire Services to Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, and Jajpur districts keeping in view the flood situation in the northern districts, another official said.
The disaster response plan includes readiness for evacuation and continuous monitoring of embankments.
“Several senior officials are monitoring the flood situation at the ground level in coordination with the district administrations,” Padhi said, adding that two engineers-in-chief have been deputed from Bhubaneswar to supervise flood management in the Subarnarekha and Baitarani basins and they will supervise the flood management there.
Padhi also noted that the water level at Hirakud reservoir is currently around 910 feet against its full capacity of 930 feet.
Despite an inflow of approximately 4 lakh cusec of water, three lakh cusec is being released through 20 sluice gates, allowing authorities to manage any potential flood situation in the Mahanadi river system.
“We will be able to manage any flood situation in the Mahanadi river system by controlling the Hirakud reservoir,” Padhi said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), meanwhile on Sunday, has forecast thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds up to 40 kmph in parts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj districts.
