The flood situation in northern region of Odisha remained severe on Wednesday as the rising water level of Subarnarekha River marooned 129 villages across Balasore district, officials said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that while flooding persists in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, and Keonjhar, the overall situation remains under control.
“The focus of the administration is now on Balasore as the river Subarnarekha was in spate. We hope things will be normal in a day or two,” Pujari stated.
The state government has issued a high alert across Balasore district in response to the rising water levels.
“Tonight is crucial as the peak flood will pass through the Subarnarekha. The four blocks like Baliapal, Bhograi, Basta and Jaleswar need to be on high alert,” Engineering-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Dilip Kumar Rout had said on Wednesday.
Rout further informed that the Subarnarekha at Rajghat measured 11.67 metres at 6 PM, standing over a metre above its 10.36-metre danger mark.
“We expect that the water level will further rise and touch around 11.80 metres at midnight on Wednesday. Therefore, the people in the four blocks need to remain alert,” he said, adding that the situation is likely to continue till Thursday evening.
The fresh swelling was driven by heavy low-pressure rains in Jharkhand’s upper catchments, prompting state agencies to scale up local relief and rescue operations.
River levels surged further following the discharge of excess water through 13 floodgates at Jharkhand’s Galudih Barrage.
Marking the river’s third flood surge this year, the rising waters inundated villages in Baliapal, Jaleswar, and Bhograi blocks, cut off several areas in the region.
Road connectivity has also been snapped in the affected areas in Balasore district, they said.
In Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts, Tuesday’s overflows from the Budhabalanga and Brahmani rivers impacted 146 villages alongside Baripada town.
However, Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the Budhabalanga river, which inundated parts of Remuna and Sadar blocks in Balasore late Tuesday, began receding by Wednesday morning.
Pujari stated that disaster response units, comprising ODRAF, Fire Services, and police teams, are deployed on the ground equipped with relief supplies and rescue boats.
Standing Strong Against the Floods | Baleshwar
With the third wave of flooding in the Subarnarekha, Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers, continuous flood situations are affecting several areas of Baleshwar district.
Disaster mitigation remains our priority. CDO-cum-EO,ZP visited the… pic.twitter.com/Q92qXLt9tI— Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department (@PRDeptOdisha) September 3, 2026
Improving conditions were also reported in Mayurbhanj district as receding Budhabalanga waters allowed many of the 5,000 displaced residents to leave relief shelters and return home.
The conditions in Jajpur district remained unchanged as the Brahmani River maintained steady water levels.
With 62 villages remaining submerged, the Jajpur district administration ordered a one-day closure for all local schools and Anganwadi centres due to widespread waterlogging.
Low-lying pockets in Dasarathpur, Bari, and Binjharpur blocks remain flooded, with Dasarathpur enduring flood impacts for nearly 57 consecutive days since early July.
In Bhadrak district, the Baitarani River was flowing close to its 18.33-metre danger mark at Akhuapada, keeping low-lying areas in Bhandaripokhari, Dhamnagar, Chandbali, and Tihidi blocks on high alert.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) evening bulletin on Wednesday, the well-marked low-pressure area over northeast Madhya Pradesh persisted at 12:30 PM. It is likely to move west-northwestwards across south Uttar Pradesh and adjoining north Madhya Pradesh during next 24 hours.
Under its influence, light to moderate rainfall is expected in most places of Odisha, and heavy rainfall in isolated places till 8.30 am of Thursday.
Tiring in Mayurbhanj district received the highest rainfall of 42.8 mm till 8.30 am.
