Around 150 residents of villages under Ambabhona block in Bargarh district located on the fringes of Hirakud dam reservoir were evacuated to safer places on Sunday after backwater flooded the area following the release of water from the dam. While the situation of Chikhli village remains grim, the situation of nearby villages is returning to normal.
Sources said, as soon as 34 gates of Hirakud dam reservoir were opened on Saturday night, water started entering Chikhli village in the early hours of Sunday and continued to increase continuously. Reportedly, at 3 pm on Monday, the inflow of water to the reservoir reached 9,85,060 cusec against the outflow of 4,45,924 cusec through the gates affecting Chikhli, Ghugrapali, Benipali, Antradi, Baugapali and Dunguri.
Currently, Chikhli remains inundated in around 4 ft water and electricity has also been disrupted in the village. Tehsildar of Ambabhona, Sitaram Patel said, four relief centres are currently operational. “However, the situation of Chikhli continues to be grim,” he added.
After massive disruptions owing to intermittent heavy rainfall in Sundargarh district for three days, life is slowly returning to normalcy with no rainfall reported since Monday evening. Sources in Sundargarh District Emergency Office (DEO) said as per preliminary reports, about 300 houses suffered partial to heavy damages under Rajgangpur, Tangarpali, Hemgir, Balishankara, Bisra and Sadar tehsil limits, while report of property loss from 12 other tehsil areas is pending. They, however, claimed no human injury or death was reported from across the district, adding compilation of property damages was underway.
Sources said Hemgir block on Saturday and Sunday received 340.4 mm rainfall damaging many houses. Sundargarh town bore the brunt of heavy rainfall as water entered the District Headquarters Hospital (SDHH) on Sunday. At Panposh and Balughat and other low-lying areas of Rourkela too, rainwater entered houses.
In Balasore, residents of low-lying areas under four gram panchayats in Basta block and one GP under Balasore Sadar block heaved a sigh of relief as the water level in river Jalaka started receding from Monday night. With water flowing at 6.40 meter against danger level of 5.50 meter, there was a flood-like situation in the low-lying areas.
As many as four kutcha houses collapsed in Gothagadigoan in Rashalpur GP and the families along with their livestock were shifted to safer places. Presently, hectares of land remain inundated due to poor disposal of water while roads have been cleared. Block Agriculture Officer of Basta, Harihar Nayak who visited the sites said that as many as 1830 hectares of paddy lands are submerged owing to the flash flood in river Jalaka.
The flood situation in Tikarpara and Athamallick sub-division improved on Tuesday with water levels receding at both the areas. In Athamallick, only two panchayats have been affected by flood water. Local administrative officials have rescued 157 people from Kudagaon and put them in local primary schools at a higher location.
“Situation has started improving with only two panchayats flooded now. We have geared up our official machinery to tackle the impeding flood in Athmallick,” said Sub-Collector Tarani Suna.
Similarly flood situation at Tikarpara has improved as well even as it is flooded along with Majhipada. Ramimunda and Behera Sahi areas. Meanwhile, relief and rescue operations for people of Tikarpara area are on.
About 36 hours after rainfall stopped, paddy fields in the banks of Hati, Tel and Sandool rivers continue to be submerged in Jaipatna, Junagarh, Kalampur , Dharamgarh, Golamunda and Narla blocks of Kalahandi district. According to preliminary assessment of the Agriculture department, 4141 hectares of agriculture land including 4018 paddy land in 362 villages of Narla, Jaipatna, Kalampur, Junagarh, Dharamgarh and Golamunda blocks are still under water. After water recedes, details of the damages to crops can be ascertained, said Chief District Agriculture Officer Pradeep Kumar Sahoo said.
(Reports from Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Balasore, Angul, Bhawanipatna)