ROURKELA: With the Brahmani river flowing menacingly at its origin point Rourkela, more than 300 people residing in the low-lying Balughat area were evacuated on Sunday. The swelling of Brahmani was attributed to the continuous release of floodwater from its two tributaries, Sankh and Koel. The river was in spate largely due to the discharge of water from Koel flowing from Jharkhand which has been witnessing heavy rainfall.
Sources in the sub-divisional office of the Central Water Commission (CWC) informed that at 5 pm on Sunday, Brahmani was flowing at 178.30 metres against the danger mark of 178.42 metres. Brahmani’s rising water level has triggered flood fears in low-lying areas along the river at Rourkela and the downstream in Bonai sub-division.
On Sunday evening, floodwater of Brahmani entered Dandiapali following which eight families were evacuated.
A bridge over the swollen Koel between Kopsingha and Jareikela in Sundargarh’s Bisra block was closed for traffic after it developed cracks and tilted downwards. The bridge is a key communication link between Odisha and Jharkhand.
Besides, the water level of Rourkela Steel Plant’s Mandira dam on the Sankh river was rising fast due to heavy rains in catchment areas in Chhattisgarh. The dam has opened nine of its 11 spillway gates to release floodwater to Brahmani.
Deputy Commissioner of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Sudhanshu Bhoi said after Brahmani’s water entered Palpalbasti, Balughatbasti, Sardarbasti and Bidyut Colony in the Balughat area, around 300 residents were shifted to a school building and given cooked food. At least eight families of Dandiapali were also evacuated as the locality was inundated.
Panposh Sub-Collector Daulat Chandrakar said the administration is keeping a close watch on Brahmani and is fully prepared to face any exigency. There has been no report of flooding downstream of Brahmani in the Bonai sub-division.