BALASORE: Overflowing Subarnarekha river has flooded more than 180 villages in Bhograi and Baliapal blocks of the district. The river was flowing at 10.52 metre against the danger mark of 10.66 metre at Rajghat on Friday.
As many as 144 and 40 low-lying villages under 41 and 19 gram panchayats (GPs) in Bhograi and Baliapal respectively were inundated after Galudih barrage in neighbouring Jharkhand released 1,500 cusecs of water into Subarnarekha. Sources said floodwater entered 40 villages in Bhograi and 30 in Baliapal on Thursday night. By the next morning, more than 100 villages were submerged.
Vegetable, paddy and jute crops over vast tracts of farmlands were inundated in these GPs. Besides, stocked paddy, rice and other household items of villagers have been damaged in the floods.
Superintending Engineer of Balasore Irrigation Division Pravas Pradhan said heavy flow of floodwater caused three scours at Laxmanath in Jaleswar, Badhapal in Baliapal and Hudapal near Rashalpur-B in Bhograi. Going by the current flow in Subarnarekha, the water level will cross the danger mark of 11.05 metres on Saturday morning at Rajghat, he added.
Sanjay Sahoo of Rashalpur village in Bishnupur panchayat said his house has been inundated by floodwater from Subarnarekha. No government official has visited the village to take stock of the situation, he alleged.
Bhograi tehsildar Kamalakanta Panda said four boats have been deployed in the flood-hit villages. Besides, three teams of fire services personnel are ready to carry out rescue operations. As many as 12 shelter houses, schools and Anganwadi centres have been readied to house affected families in the block.
Baliapal tehsildar Deepak Das said five boats have been deployed in Choudhurikud, Kudmansing, Bishnupur and Rashalpur-A as water was flowing four feet above the roads. Two fire services teams have been engaged and 25 shelter houses readied in the block.
Sources in the district emergency officials said two ODRAF teams are ready for deployment in the affected areas. Besides, three more teams are arriving in Balasore from Bhubaneswar.