Floodwater To Reach Mundali By Noon Today, 7 Collectors Put On Alert; Sec 144 At 2 Shrines In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Around 8 lakh cusecs of floodwater is likely to pass in the Mahanadi at Mundali near Odisha’s Cuttack city by noon, the office of Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) informed on Thursday.

Around 7,25,000 cusecs of water is currently flowing per second at Mundali. Collectors of Angul, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts have been asked to take precautionary measures and guard weak embankments.

The SRC has also directed for ensuring 24×7 patrolling of vulnerable river embankments with support of local police and DoWR engineers, evacuation of people from low-lying areas as may be required and shifting them to safe shelter buildings with light, toilet, water and food arrangements.

Meanwhile, Badamba Executive Magistrate has clamped Section 144 at Singhanatha Temple & Maa Bhattarika Pitha in view of heavy flow of water in the Mahanadi.

Water level in rivers across the state has been rising due to incessant rain in the past two days. Baitarani, Bansadhara, Nagabali and Jalaka rivers have crossed the danger marks at several places. Salandi is swelling while Baitarani is flowing at 19.88m against the danger level of 17.83 at Akhuapada in Bhadrak district. Similarly, in Jajpur, Baitarani’s tributary Budha River has also been flowing much above the danger mark resulting in flooding of some low-lying villages of two blocks in the district. Bhandaripokhari has been completely cut-off from Jajpur.

The Batarani is also flowing above the danger mark at Anandpur in Keonjhar district. Around 313 people have been shifted to safe places while 208 houses were damaged, affecting 211 people, due to heavy rains in the district.

Bansadhara too was flowing at 54.90 metres as against the danger mark of 54.60 metres near Kashinagar, triggering flood-like situation in the area, on Wednesday. All rivers were in spate in Rayagada and cracks appeared on the guard wall of a bridge between Sikarpai and Kalyansingpur as a portion of connecting road got washed away in heavy rains. Dakpala and Damigaon of ward no. 2 of Phulbani municipality was cut off from the town with floodwater of Pila Salunki river flowing 4 to 5 ft above the connecting road for the last two days.

Around 14 families have been rescued and more than 3000 people shifted to flood shelters as heavy rains lashed Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) at Palposi village under Jarak GP in Thakurmunda block of Mayurbhanj district. With the collapse of Deo Irrigation project left the canal and another portion near Hatibari, more than 30 villages under Hatibari, Batpasa, Dudhiani and Mirigidi GPs divisions are deluged. Two gates in Sunei dam have also been opened to release the water due to heavy rainfall in STR.

Eight NDRF teams, 13 ODRAF teams and 23 Fire Services teams have been deployed in 15 districts– Bhadrak, Jajpur, Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Sonepur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Balasore, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada– for search and rescue operations.

Another 62 Fire & Emergency Services Teams with boats have also been deployed in Kendrapara (10), Cuttack Sadar (10), Athagarh (8), Jagatsinghpur (9), Khurda (5), Nayagarh (8) and Puri (12) to assist the district administrations.