More than 11,000 people across six districts, including Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Sundargarh, and Keonjhar, have been impacted due to floods triggered by heavy rainfall, an official said on Sunday.
As of Sunday, over 1,000 people have been safely evacuated from these affected areas and moved to secure locations, the official said.
Special Relief Commissioner DK Singh, addressing a press conference, confirmed that the flooding resulted from the overflowing waters of the Subarnarekha, Baitarani, and Jalka rivers.
“The rescued people have been provided shelter at different cyclone centres and other buildings. The government is providing dry food items and cooked food to them,” he said.
Extensive rescue and relief operations are in full swing. In Balasore district, five teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), one NDRF team, and 26 fire services teams have been deployed.
In Mayurbhanj, one ODRAF and 23 fire service teams, while in Bhadrak, one ODRAF, one NDRF, and 13 fire service teams have been deployed, Singh said.
Jajpur has one ODRAF, one NDRF, and 14 fire service teams. In total, 106 rescue boats are actively deployed across these districts.
He provided the details after attending a review meeting, chaired by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari.
Singh noted that the water levels of most major rivers, except the Subarnarekha, are currently receding.
“Night patrolling has been tightened in the flood-affected areas. Arrangements have been made to provide safe drinking water to people, and sufficient anti-venom has been kept in stock,” he said.
According to the Water Resources Department’s evening flood bulletin, the Baitarani river at Anandapur (Keonjhar) was flowing at 36.24 meters against a danger level of 38.36 meters.
The Jalaka river at Mathani measured 6.52 meters, slightly above its danger level of 6.50 meters. The Subarnarekha at Jamsholaghat was at 48.86 meters, just below its danger level of 49.16 meters, but at Rajghat, it was flowing higher at 11.17 meters against a danger level of 10.36 meters, the bulletin said.
Collector Dillip Routray of Bhadrak district reported that several villages in Bhandaripokhari and Dhamnagar blocks remain waterlogged, with farmlands, roads, and homes submerged. He assured that rescue and relief operations are in full swing, with continuous monitoring and coordination from the administration.
The Flood Cell of the Department of Water Resources is operating 24/7 to monitor the situation, and two chief engineer-rank officers have been deputed to the Subarnarekha and Baitarani river basins for direct monitoring, officials said.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj also inspected Baitarani embankment sites in Bhadrak.
A breach on the right bank of the Jambhira river embankment at Bodhi in Mayurbhanj was detected, which was promptly closed with sandbags, officials said.
A landslide in Sundargarh district temporarily blocked the Koida-Chunaghati stretch of NH-520, but debris was cleared from the road immediately, they said.
