ROURKELA: At least three persons have died of drowning as heavy rains over the past six days continued to heap miseries on people with inundation of various pockets across Sundargarh district.
According to reports, the body of retired BSF jawan Sushil Tigga was recovered from near the pump house of DCBL at Rajgangpur on Monday. Tigga (46) was reportedly swept away along with his two-wheeler while crossing the flooded bridge over Nakti nullah near Kesramal on Saturday evening.
Similarly, a rescue team on Monday retrieved the body of Amulya Sahu (45) from a nullah at Kansar village under Gurundia police limits. Sahu had reportedly drowned and gone missing in the swelling nullah while returning to Kansar on Friday night.
Earlier on August 13, Krishnachik Badaik (40) accidentally fell into a swollen stormwater drain near Panposh in Rourkela under RN Pali police limits. His body was later pulled out from the drain.
Following torrential rainfall on August 13, Rourkela witnessed an unprecedented flooding with around 80 per cent of the city experiencing waterlogging. Heavy to very heavy rainfall has continued to lash the city intermittently almost every day since then.
The heavy rainfall also substantially damaged road infrastructure in Bisra, Lathikata and Koida blocks with restoration work yet to be completed at several places.
District emergency officer Kamalakshi Marandi said the diversion road of NH-320D was completely washed away by stormwater near Bangladhipa in Bisra. The Mahipani-Oramtola road in Bhalulata panchayat and Chirobeda road in Manko were also completely damaged. Two roads in Udushu panchayat suffered partial damage.
Road culverts at Birkera, Jalda A Block, Nayadora and near Tumran village in Lathikata block were completely damaged. A bridge at Nayadora was also damaged. The Kundheidiha-Lachda road in Gurundia and the San Roxy-Bada Roxy road in Koida block suffered partial damage, Marandi said.
Bisra panchayat samiti member Somnath Raha said restoration work on NH-320D began on Monday. Most of the damaged roads in Bisra block are yet to be repaired.
Sundargarh has so far received around 357 mm of rain against the normal August rainfall of 357.9 mm.