MALKANGIRI: With rains battering the district since Tuesday night, rivers in the district are in spate leaving many villages cut off from the mainstream.
Communication to many parts of the district has been hit. Movement of vehicles on NH-326 between Motu, Malkangiri and Jeypore was disrupted as the water was flowing five feet over the low lying bridges at Pangam, Potteru and Kangrukonda. Similarly, communication between Malkangiri and Balimela was snapped due to submergence of low lying bridges at Korukonda and MV-37. Podia was also cut off from the district headquarters town due to submergence of the road near Undrukonda.
In Pottetu, rain water entered into many villages. Collector Manish Agarwal and a team of administrative officials rushed to Potteru to look into rescue and relief work. As many as 2,172 affected people from across all blocks except Chitrakonda were evacuated and shifted to 24 flood shelters where they were provided cooked food, said Deputy Collector, Akshaya Kumar Khemundu.
The district has received 129.96 mm rainfall during past 24 hours and Korukonda block got the highest of 175 mm. The water level in Satiguda dam was 191 m against the full reservoir level of 192.63 m by evening. The water level in Chitrakonda dam was 1477.10 feet against FRL of 1516 feet.
Trapped ailing villagers rescued
Malkangiri: FIVE ailing persons who were trapped in the marooned Majhiguda village under Khairput block were rescued by a team of fire fighters and police on Wednesday. Two pregnant women, as many ailing children and one elderly patient of the village were to be admitted to Khairput community health centre (CHC) but they could not be shifted as the road between Majhiguda and Kenduguda was cut off after a makeshift bridge over the Majhiguda nullah was washed away on Tuesday night. Over 5 feet water was flowing over the road in the morning. The rescue team tied up ropes across the inundated road, carried the patients on their shoulders and crossed the road while holding the ropes. They were shifted to the CHC. SP Jagmohan Meena said police personnel are standing guard near bridges that have been submerged near Potteru, Pangam, Kanyashram, Salappadar, MV-11, Korkunda and Podhkhal.