Bhubaneswar: Efforts are underway to rescue four priests and a woman stranded at Goiratikhiri Mutt in Dhamnagar’s Mustafapur panchayat in Jajpur district due to floodwaters on Sunday.
A flood warning has already been issued for Jajpur and Bhadrak districts with the Baitarani crossing the danger mark at Akhuapada.
“The catchment of the Baitrani experienced heavy rainfall on Friday. Some places recorded 150mm to 200 mm rainfall for three days. The river is flowing at 18.8 metre at Akhuapada surpassing its danger mark of 18.33 metre. We are observing an increase of 12mm per hour. So it might go up to 19 or more than that. There is definitely a flood-like situation,” Chief Engineer of Water Resources Lingraj Gaur told ANI.
At Anandapur in Keonjhar, there has been a decrease in the water level in Baitarani, which is currently flowing at 35.78m against the danger level 38.36m.
In Jajpur’s Dasarathpur block, rising water in the Kani, a branch of the Baitarani river, has breached embankments at Panchapada and Hajisahi in Kasapa panchayat, causing flooding in nearby villages. The situation is critical at Brahmacharipatana, where strong currents are driving floodwaters into homes. The Water Resources Department is urgently deploying sandbags and bamboo reinforcements to mitigate further damage.
Besides Jajpur and Bhadrak, Balasore in North Odisha is staring at a flood-like situation due to rising water levels in Subarnarekha, Jalaka, and Baitarani rivers triggered by heavy rainfall in their upper catchment areas.
Floodwaters from the Jalka river have inundated several areas in Balasore’s Basta block, prompting the administration to vacate four blocks. “There is a flood in the Jalka river today. As a result, the Basta block has been affected. Four areas of the block are being vacated… Cooked food was provided to around 260 people. Three fire brigades and two Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed there. 22 people and 15 animals have been rescued. There has been no loss of life or property… The water of the Jalka River is not expected to increase tomorrow,” said Additional Collector Sudhakar Naik.
A day after breaching the danger mark of 6.50m and flowing at 7.13m, Jalaka at Mathani is also showing a falling trend. The river is currently flowing at 6.67m.
He added that Subarnarekha may also witness flooding. “It could reach the danger level today… We are prepared for it,” he said.
Subarnarekha is flowing at 51.6m (falling trend) at Jamsholaghat in Mayurbhanj district above the danger-mark of 49.16m. Similarly, the water level at Rajghat in Balasore district is 10.20m (rising trend) compared to the danger level of 10.36m. “We are expecting a flood situation in the Subarnarekha river… We are closely monitoring the situation, and the district administration has been kept in the loop. Our field officers are on the site, and they are taking all necessary actions… We are also having a flood situation in the Baitarani river, which has crossed the danger level… This has occurred due to the heavy rainfall in some of the basins of Odisha…,” the engineer-in-chief, water resource department of Odisha, Dr Chandra Sekhar Padhi, told the news agency.
The water resources department, in a statement, peak flood is expected in the Subarnarekha by 9 pm on July 27 when the water level in the river may rise up to 11.40m. “The State Flood Cell in the Department of Water Resources is functioning 24 X 7 and the situation is being closely monitored. Collectors, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore have been alerted to expedite evacuation and relief operation as and where required to handle the local flood situation. Chief Engineer and Basin Manager, Subarnarekha and Budhabalanga Basin; Chief Engineer and Basin Manager, Mahanadi Brahmani and Baitarani System and Chief Engineer and Basin Manager, Baitarani Basin are monitoring the flood situation at the ground level in co-ordination with the district ddministrations,” it further stated.
Two Engineers- in-Chief have been deputed from Bhubaneswar to Subarnarekha Basin and Baitarani Basins. They will supervise the flood management in the respective basins, it added.
In Cuttack district, the floor of Bhattarika Temple in Baramba has been submerged in floodwaters from the Mahanadi, which is in spate at Mundali following opening of 20 gates of Hirakud reservoir. The deity has been moved to the Rosha Ghara (temple kitchen) on Ratnagiri hill, where rituals will continue until the water levels drop.