CUTTACK: Incessant rain, both upstream and downstream, triggered flash floods in Mahanadi on Wednesday. Floodwater inundated vast areas of Banki, Badamba and Tigiria blocks and entered the sanctum sanctorum of Maa Bhattarika temple in Badamba block. Though the famous shakti shrine was flooded at around 5 am, the rituals remained unaffected as the presiding deity was relocated to a safer place atop the adjacent hill by the temple administration.
According to reports, over four feet high flood water gushed into the temple. Located close to Mahanadi banks, the temple often gets flooded during monsoon. Subarnapur-Bindhanima road remained inaccessible with five feet water flowing over Ghodabar Hulu Hula Nala bridge in Banki. Similarly, Similipur-Bilipada road remained cut off since Wednesday morning due to three feet high floodwater on the road near Kaithamala.
As many as eight-gram panchayats under Banki and Tigiria blocks were wrecked with hundreds of acres of farmland submerged in floodwaters. Meanwhile, a team of engineers of the Water Resources department headed by Chief Engineer Biswamohan Acharya inspected Mahanadi river embankment from Bhagipur to Jatamundia and took stock of the flood situation.
With Mahanadi and Kathajodi rivers swelling from time to time and floodwaters entering habitations, slum dwellers residing along the riverbed and flood plains have started shifting to safer places.