40K People Evacuated In Balasore: Odisha Govt Fully Prepared For Any Emergency, Says Minister

Bhubaneswar: Maintaining that the water level of the swollen Subarnarekha river has become stable now, the Odisha government on Monday said it was vigilant and fully prepared to meet any emergency situation arising out of the flood situation.

To ensure the ‘zero casualty’ target set by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, senior officials and engineers have been working round-the-clock and keeping a close watch on the flood situation, particularly in Balasore, Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu told reporters.

“Though Subarnarekha is still flowing above the danger mark, the water level has remained stable for the last eight hours. We are keeping a close vigil on the flood situation as today is going to be crucial,” she said.

Sahu further said that the water level in almost all the rivers in the state had dropped except Subarnarekha, which is in spate following the release of excess water from Galudihi barrage in Jharkhand after heavy downpour triggered by depression.

Notably, the water level of Subarnarekha is receding and has come down to 11.88 metre near Rajghat though it continued to flow above the danger level of 10.36 metre. The river was also flowing above the danger at Jamsholaghat where the water level stood at 49.72 metre against the danger mark of 49.15 metre.

Stating that no breach in the river embankment has been reported so far, the Minister said low-lying areas in Baliapal, Bhograi, Basta and Jaleswar have been inundated by floodwaters.

“Our engineers and officers are also undertaking night patrolling to monitor the river embankments and take necessary measures to prevent any breach. Wherever necessary, immediate steps are being taken to strengthen the embankments,” she said.

“We are fully prepared to deal with any emergency situation. While engineers and officers have geared up, we are well equipped with materials and machinery for carrying out necessary operations,” Sahu said.

Stating that Odisha has been praised by all for handling natural calamities including floods and cyclones in the past, she said the department has geared up to prevent any loss of life in the current flood.

This apart, steps are also being taken to undertake repair of seven breaches caused during the flood in the Mahanadi river system, Sahu added.

Meanwhile, around 40000 people shifted to safer locations in Balasore and arrangements for them have been made at 227 shelters. “Nearly 156 villages in 83 panchayats under 6 blocks have been affected by floods. If required, people in pucca houses will also be evacuated,” Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said.