BARIPADA/BHUBANESWAR : AROUND 9,000 people were evacuated to safety in Mayurbhanj and Balasore on Monday as flood in Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha, Jambhira and Jalaka rivers inundated low-lying areas across eight blocks and one municipality in the two districts.
Revenue and Disast e r Management (R&DM) Minister Suresh Pujari, who reviewed the situation, said the flood situation is completely under control. In Mayurbhanj, more than 6,000 people were evacuated, mostly from the low-lying areas of Saraskana and Rasgovindpur blocks.
Similarly, 2,916 people were also moved to safer locations from six blocks and Jaleswar municipality, in Balasore district. Officials said 63 gram panchayats in Saraskana and Rasgovindpur blocks of Mayurbhanj were affected due to flood in Subarnarekha and Jambhira rivers.
In Balasore district, people in 46 gram panchayats across Basta, Baliapal, Bhograi, Jaleswar, Balasore Sadar, and Remuna blocks along with Jaleswar municipality, were impacted by the flood in the Subarnarekha river. Pujari said the state government is also keeping a close watch as water-level in Subarnarekha is rising slowly.
“We are also in constant touch with the Jharkhand counterparts to regulate dam discharges,” he said. Meanwhile, communication link between Baliapal and Bishnupur was disrupted as the road was overtopped by two feet high flood water.
Residents of low-lying areas in Bishnupur panchayat had to reach Jamkunda chowk by boat and proceed to Baliapal bus terminal to trave l onward t o their destinations. In Bhograi block, villages including Kusuda, Gobgaon, Baga, Nachinda, Uluda, Aruhaburti, and Jaladha were inundated.
Talks on with Jharkhand government for Chandli dam completion: Pujari
The villagers had to rely on boats to reach Nachinda Chowk as floodwater inundated the roads. Residents of Kumbhirgadi, Kulha, and Khalabadia also faced similar problems due to the flood in Subarnarekha river.
The Balasore district administration established temporary free kitchen for people residing in flood-affected areas. A total of seven kitchens were set up in Basta, three in Bhograi, and one each in Baliapal block, Jaleswar block, and Jaleswar municipality. These kitchens have provided free cooked meals to 2,208 individuals in the affected regions.
For safe rescue from flood-hit areas, four teams from Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and eight fire service teams were deployed. Balasore collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas said adequate facilities had been provided for the affected people and priority was to rescue individuals and ensure their safety.
According to Mayurbhanj district emergency officer Sradha Suman, to ensure food security, 44 free kitchens were operational in the district, serving cooked meals to the flood-affected population.
As a precaution against further flooding and heavy rainfall, Mayurbhanj administration announced closure of all government and private schools on Monday. All anganwadi centers in the district would also remain closed for three days beginning Monday, Mayurbhanj collector Hema Kanta Say said.
The floods also impacted Similipal Tiger Reserve, where a landslide damaged the road between Kalikaprasad and Gudgudia. According to field director Prakash Chand Gogineni, repair work was underway but four-wheelers had been restricted on the route until the damage was addressed.
As per latest data, Subarnarekha river was flowing at 11.45 metres at Rajghat, significantly above the danger level of 10.36 metre. Similarly, Jalaka river was flowing at 6.68 metres at Mathani in Basta, crossing its danger mark of 6.50 metres.
Revenue Minister Pujari said both the districts had been issued alert owing to heavy rainfall in the region including Jharkhand. Low-lying areas in Bhogarai and Jaleswar blocks are likely to remain inundated for a while as water-level in Subarnarekha is slowly rising.
The minister, however, said the water level of Budhabalanga has started receding and the drop in rainfall in upper catchment in Jharkhand as well as in the two affected district is also expected to help improve the situation.
Pujari said the delay in completion of Chandli dam in the neighbouring state is aggravating the flood situation. “We are in talks with the Jharkhand government to speed up its completion,” he informed.
Water Resources department officials said an engineer-in-chief has been rushed to Balasore to monitor the situation at ground level and support in flood management.
