JEYPORE: Heavy rain continued to lash Koraput district for the second consecutive day on Monday, throwing normal life out of gear. The flood alert has been sounded in five panchayats of Kotpad and Borrigumma blocks in the district.
According to reports, 70 mm rainfall was recorded in the last 24 hours. Markets in Jeypore, Koraput, Kotpad and Sunabeda remained closed and people preferred to stay indoors. Vehicular traffic was also disrupted and heavy vehicles remained off the road on Sunki-Kotpad, Jeypre-Malkangiri and Koraput-Rayagada routes due to incessant rain. Rain water was flowing over the road in some low lying areas.
Major rivers like Indravati, Saveri, Saptadhara, Kolab, Patali, Johnra and Surli are in spate and water level has been rising since Monday morning.
This is for the second time that the district is witnessing flood. In the first week of August, flood in river Jhanjabati had washed away a portion of the bridge near Dandabadi in Bandhugaon block. Vehicular communication to Narayanpatna, Bandhugaon, Rayagada, and Parvatipuram in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh was hit as many rural roads were either damaged or washed away.
In July, the district had recorded 5,288.6 mm rainfall. Kotpad block had received the highest 664.4 mm rainfall while the lowest of 207.2 mm was registered in Borrigumma.
However, rain has brought cheer to the farming community as Agriculture Department officials said the weather is favorable for paddy cultivation.