BALASORE: Croplands in over 12 gram panchayats (GPs) of Basta and Balasore Sadar blocks were flooded after Jalaka river breached its banks on Thursday night.
Floodwater submerged crop fields in 10 GPs under Basta and two of Sadar block after heavy rains lashed both Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts for the last few days due to the low pressure over Bay of Bengal. Excess rainwater from Moroda, Tantiamunhan, Rasgovindpur, Chitrada and Amarda areas of Mayurbhanj entered Jalaka, causing the river to swell.
Official sources said at 2 pm, the river was flowing at 6.75 metre against the danger mark of 6.50 metre at Mathani. After an hour, the water level of the river gradually receded as no rainfall activity was reported on Friday.
Due to the floods, communication to several villages under these GPs was disrupted as water flowed two feet above the roads. The worst-hit were Baharda, Kudia, Mathani and Dudhahangsha GPs in Basta besides Srirampur and Rashalpur in Balasore Sadar.
District emergency officer Saikrushna Jena confirmed that floodwater from Jalaka has submerged agriculture fields while inundating a few roads. The floodwater is receding fast. The block development officers of Basta and Balasore Sadar visited the affected GPs to take stock of the situation, he added.