BHUBANESWAR: Incessant rain caused by the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal has triggered flood concerns in many parts of the State. In Kendrapara, several villages in Aul, Pattamundai and Rajkanika blocks are facing flood threats as major rivers and their tributaries are swelling.
The riverside villages of Singhagaon, Krushnadaspur, Penthapala, Balipatana, Taradipal, Kulasahi, Srirampur, Damarapur and Balabhadrapur in Pattamundai have been cut off from the mainland due to flash floods. Kendrapara Sub-Collector Niranjan Behera said the Mahanadi river and its tributaries are in spate. The administration has sounded flood warnings in the riverside villages.
On Sunday, the district administration held an emergency meeting to assess the flood situation. Flattened rice, molasses, kerosene and other necessary items have been stocked in all the gram panchayat offices and block headquarters. All government officials were directed not to leave their respective headquarters without informing the district administration.
Two ODRAF, one NDRAF and four fire service teams have been deployed in the district. Around 95 multipurpose cyclone shelters have been kept ready, said district emergency officer Premalata Bahalia.
In Jagatsinghpur, paddy crops in thousands of hectares (ha) of farmland have been inundated in Erasama, Balikuda, Naugaon, Kujang, Raghunathpur and Biridi blocks. Chief district agriculture officer Rajkishore Das said paddy crops in nearly 14,000 ha have been submerged in rainwater. If the water is not released within two to three days, the crops will be damaged.
In Mayurbhanj, irrigation officials have opened a gate for each of the Sono and Kala dams. Superintending engineer of Mayurbhanj Irrigation Division Prasad Panda said the water level is rising in Sono and Kala rivers. The water level in Sono has reached 84 metres against the danger mark of 85 metres. Similarly, the Kala river was flowing at 76 metres against the danger level of 77.90 metres.
Panda, however, said people residing in low-lying areas should not panic as the water levels in major rivers like Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha and Jambhira are below the danger mark. Similarly in Koraput, the water level in major rivers is on the rise. Indravati, Kolab, Saveri, and Saptadhara are in spate and it is expected that a flood situation may arise in the next one to two days if the rains do not stop.
The district administration has asked block officials of Kotpad, Kundra, Jeypore and Borigumma to monitor the flood situation. Sources said around 60 houses have collapsed due to rains in the last 24 hours.
In Sambalpur, flooding was reported from several low-lying areas including Binakhandi, Bada Bazaar, Sadak Ghat, Chandan Nagar, Talbhatapada, Charbati, Anguliapara and Motijharan. Around 1,000 people were evacuated and shifted to five relief centres.
Enforcement officer of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) Subhankar Mohanty said, “Six more relief centres have been opened. At least 1,300 persons have been evacuated so far. We are monitoring the situation.”
In Jajpur, the Baitarani river continued to be in spate raising flood concerns among residents of Korie, Jajpur and Dasarathpur blocks. At 8 pm, Baitarani was flowing at 18.07 metres against the danger mark of 17.83 metres at Akhuapada. The water level in Budha and Kani rivers has also risen.
On the day, Telapali and Sikulipadar in Kandhamal’s Phiringia block were cut off from the mainland after the floodwater of Chateni nullah submerged the road connecting the two villages. Similarly, traffic between Masaripada Chowk to Nuapadar was disrupted for several hours due to the uprooting of a tree on the road. After toiling for eight hours, fire service personnel removed the tree.