Bhubaneswar: Amid flood fury triggered by cyclone Arnab, the Palashpur bridge in Sanakhemundi block of Odisha’s Ganjam district was washed away following days of heavy flooding.
As a result, traffic has come to a complete grinding halt on the road connecting Digapahandi in Kandhamala and Asika in Ganjam, disrupting connectivity between the two areas.
Sources said floodwater had been flowing over the bridge at a height of around 15 feet for the past three days. After the water level began to recede, it was found that the bridge had been washed away.
Meanwhile, officials said that flood situation in Ganjam district is gradually improving. However, several villages along the Rushikulya river, stretching from Bhanjanagar to Chhatrapur, have been affected by floodwaters, leaving people stranded in several areas after breaches in river embankments.
The district administration has intensified water drainage, rescue and relief operations to bring the situation under control.
Ganjam Collector V. Keerthi Vasan said rescue and relief operations have been stepped up in the flood-hit areas. Relief materials have been reaching affected people since yesterday.
As boat operations remain difficult in areas with strong water currents, the administration is preparing to use helicopters to air-drop food packets and other essential supplies to people stranded in inaccessible locations.
Manwhile, traffic on a major stretch of Taptapani Ghat Road near Belagada on the Ganjam–Gajapati border continued to be disrupted on Friday. The ghat road has suffered extensive damage following landslides and a massive flow of hill-stream water triggered by heavy rain, bringing traffic on National Highway 326 to a complete halt.
A culvert near Belagada has been washed away, while nearly 20 feet of the road has been completely eroded. Landslides have also occurred at several locations along an approximately one-kilometre stretch near Kaliborai, Chedanai and Palukhala villages. Water cascading down the nearby Dhangudi hills is flowing across the highway at a height of nearly four feet. Several huge trees have been uprooted and fallen onto the road.
The disruption has severed a vital road link connecting Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Jeypore, Koraput, Kalahandi and Malkangiri, besides neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.
The police and administration have sealed the affected stretch by erecting temporary barricades on both sides to prevent vehicles from entering the hazardous zone. Engineers from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Sanakhemundi Fire Services personnel and officers from the Podamari police outpost under Patapur police station have reached the spot and undertaken preliminary road-clearing work.
Near the tourist destination of Taptapani, the roaring flow of water and mudslides have virtually concealed the road, leaving numerous vehicles stranded on both sides. The extensive damage has raised concerns over the restoration of traffic on this crucial inter-district and inter-state transport corridor.