Bhubaneswar: Flood threat is looming large in Odisha’s Bhadrak district following heavy rainfall since the last 72 hours under the influence of a deep depression over the North Bay of Bengal.
In Dhamnagar block, floodwaters of Raba and Kapali, the two tributaries of Salandi river, have entered Asurali and Kasimpur villages.
Besides, people of Arnapal, Bishnupur Bindha and Sasua villages in the sadar block have been marooned. So is case in about 92 villages in Bhadrak, Dhusuri and Dhamnagar blocks.
The floodwaters of Baitarani was flowing over the danger mark at Akhuapada. As against the danger level of 17.83 metre, the floodwater was flowing at a height of 17.86 metres.
At Rajghat in Anandpur of Keonjhar district, the water level of Baitarani river has crossed the danger mark. The floodwater of the river was flowing at a height of 37.65 metres as against the danger level of 37.44 metres.
In Sundargarh district, rainwater has entered ward no-14 in Sundargarh town. The wall of a house in Rani Bagicha area of the ward collapsed on Thursday night due to heavy rain. However, there was no loss of life, reports said.
In Kutra block of the district, rainwater has entered the Central School, the office of the Block Education Officer and the Animal Husbandry office.
Following heavy rain, rainwater has entered several villages in eight blocks of Kendrapara district. The district collector has directed the administration to shift the people of the low-lying areas to safer places. Due to the gradual rise in the water level of the Gobara river, the collector has asked the officials to keep a watch along the river embankment.
In view of the heavy rainfall alert by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, on Friday, the collectors of Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Sundargarh, Kandhamal and Bhadrak districts have ordered the closure of schools for the day.
However, the Kendrapara district administration has kept the Open School examination centres open.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered the closure of all schools in Bhubaneswar and Anganwadi centres in the state on Friday for the safety of the children.
According to a release by the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, heavy rain will lash North Odisha for the next 24 hours.
Meanwhile, heavy rain battered the upper catchments of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh as the deep depression has moved in the south-west direction. As a result, the inflow of Mahanadi water to the Hirakud dam has increased in the last 24 hours. The inflow of water to the reservoir was recorded at 1,97,759 cusecs per second by 9 pm on Thursday. As a result, the water level of the reservoir has gone up to 624.72 feet as against the optimum level of 630 feet.
To maintain the water level of the reservoir according to the Rule Curve, the dam authorities, who had opened five gates of the dam earlier, opened three more gates in phases between 9.45 pm and 10.45 pm and four more gates on Friday. Till reports last came in, the outflow from the 12 gates of the dam was 2,01,816 lakh cusecs of water per second.