BARIPADA: WITH incessant rains lashing the catchment area of Deo river for the last three days,Mayurbhanj district witnessed first flash flood of the season on Tuesday.Vehicular movement along Balasore-Udala and Baripada-Udala routes was disrupted as floodwater was flowing at least four feet above both the State highways at the two places. Commuters preferred to skip the flooded roads due to high current.
Sources said at least two villages under Nuagaon panchayat in Udala block were affected. While two houses collapsed, hundreds of acres of crop land got submerged due to the flash flood in river Deo, which was in spate throughout the day.
Although there is no significant rise of water level in Budhabalanga and Sono rivers, heavy rainfall in Similipal biosphere region is said to be the main reason behind the flash flood.Shashikanta Mishra of Udala said the floodwater came all of a sudden and inundated large tracks of paddy fields besides submerging slopes on Balasore-Udala and Baripada-Udala routes.
“Situation may turn grim if the rainfall continues for some more days,” he said. While floodwater on the slope near Adapal village receded completely, communication on Baripada- Udala route was restored in the night.Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Suratha Chandra Mallick said road communication to Udala was disrupted for a few hours due to passage of rainwater. No report of flood was received yet.District Emergency office sources said the district has been witnessing rainfall for the last few days, which is normal during monsoon. There is no report of any casualty and damage to property in the district, he added.