Floods wreaked havoc across the State as rivers continued to be in spate on Wednesday. In Puri, Badas village in Kanas block remained cut off from the mainland for the second consecutive day due to floods in Makara and Rajua rivers. At least 58 houses were submerged and villagers have been moved to shelters.
Similarly, Nagar panchayat in Astarang was marooned due to floods in Devi river. Sources said the flood situation was grim in Astarang and Kakatpur blocks. Floodwater of Dhanua river submerged the Pipili-Nimapara road leading to disruption of traffic.
District emergency officer of Puri JK Sahu said two breaches were reported, one at Khandiakud on Kusabhadra river embankment and another at Kanas by Daya.
Five villages in Gop block and three in Kanas have been flooded due to the breaches. ODRAF, NDRF and fire service teams have been deployed in flood-hit blocks.
Around 10 boats are engaged in rescue operations. Engineers are inspecting embankments of rivers and reinforcing the weak portions, he added. In Koraput, over 1,000 hectare of crop fields in Surli and Indravati catchment areas of Kotpad block are still under water.
After release of water from Telingiri dam, several areas including farmland in Dhamanahandi, Surtipadar, Chandili, Belgaon and Sadaranga panchayats were flooded.
Official sources said revenue inspectors of Kotpad tehsil have been asked to prepare the damage assessment report but the process is yet to start due to inclement weather.
(Inputs from Puri, Nimapara and Jeypore)