BHUBANESWAR: Over 11,000 people in six districts have been affected by floods due to heavy rains triggered by the depression over Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh, the state government said on Sunday.
The districts include Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Sundargarh and Keonjhar. Over 1,000 people have been shifted to safer places and relief camps in the majorly-hit Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari told mediapersons.
He, however, said with the system losing steam and moving away from Jharkhand, the rainfall activity in the upper catchment areas have ceased and the flood situation has begun to improve in the state. The water-levels in Baitarani and Jalaka rivers have started receding. Damage assessment will be done after floodwater recedes completely, he said.
However, the Subarnarekha river continued to show an increasing trend at Rajghat in Balasore district and was flowing at 11.16 mtr against the danger mark of 10.36 mtr. Official sources said the flow is expected to touch 11.4 mtr later on Sunday night. But at Jamsholaghat, the river was flowing at 48.86 mtr, below the danger mark of 49.16 mtr.
Baitarani was flowing below danger mark at Anandpur and Akhuapada, and is expected to decrease further. While at Anandpur the water-level was 36.24 mtr as against 38.36 mtr, at Akhuapada the river was flowing at 17.66 mtr against the danger mark of 18.33 mtr. Similarly, Jalaka river was flowing at 5.52 mtr at Mathani against the danger mark of 6.5 mtr.
Special relief commissioner (SRC) Deoranjan Kumar Singh reviewed the situation in the presence of the Revenue minister and asked districts collectors to provide relief in the flood-affected areas. The SRC said a high alert has been sounded in Balasore district in view of the flood situation. Night patrolling has been intensified in all affected areas, he added.
The SRC said arrangements have been made to provide clean drinking water to the people in the flood zones. Cooked food will be provided to the people in the relief camps as per requirement till the situation becomes normal. Additional relief commissioner Manish Agrawal has been assigned the task of supervising the relief and restoration works in the flood-affected areas of Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, he added.
Singh said five ODRAF along with one NDRF, and 26 fire and emergency services teams have been deployed in Balasore district, while one ODRAF and 23 fire services teams have been engaged in Mayurbhanj district. Besides one ODRAF, one NDRF and 13 fire services teams have been deployed in Bhadrak district. Similarly, one ODRAF and 14 fire services teams have been engaged in Jajpur district.
Additional reserve teams and logistics are also on stand-by to assist in rescue operations. A total of 532 fire services personnel equipped with 76 rescue boats and outboard motors, 228 lifebuoys, 760 life jackets and 76 tower, torch lights have been stationed in the four districts. Fire Services DIG Umashankar Dash has been made the overall in-charge of the arrangements and operations in the flood-affected districts.