Bhubaneswar: Intense downpours triggered by a low-pressure system over North Odisha have caused major rivers including the Baitarani, Salandi, Kani and parts of the Mahanadi system to swell, inundating villages, farmland and roads in several districts and prompting authorities to open additional gates at the Hirakud Dam.
In Bhadrak district, continuous rainfall in upper catchment areas has pushed the Baitarani near the danger mark at Akhuapada (around 18 metres against 18.33 metres) and the Salandi close to its warning level of 17 feet at Rajghat (recorded near 16.10 feet in recent readings). Embankment breaches have worsened the situation, including a roughly 200-foot gap at Baro Dihia in Tihidi block and a larger breach near Lanjatara in Bilana panchayat. Water from the Salandi and Nalia rivers has submerged multiple villages across Tihidi, Bhadrak, Dhamnagar, Chandbali and Bhandaripokhari blocks, affecting thousands of hectares of farmland and entering residential areas in places.
Residents in low-lying areas of Basudevpur, including panchayats such as Ratanga, Barandua and Sudarshanpur, have reported chest-high water in homes during what some describe as a third spell of flooding this season, before earlier waters fully receded. The India Meteorological Department has issued yellow warnings for heavy rain in Bhadrak and broader alerts covering multiple districts amid forecasts of continued showers.
In neighbouring Jajpur district, a person identified as Maheswar Sutar was swept away by floodwaters after a riverbank collapse near Dhobil village in Dasarathapur block along the overflowing Kani River, a tributary of the Baitarani. Search and rescue operations were launched. Embankment breaches that had been repaired earlier reopened or widened under pressure, with one expanding substantially and floodwaters displacing over 30 families who sought temporary shelter on higher embankments. “We had barely finished cleaning our homes after the first wave when the water entered again. With no option left, we are taking shelter on the embankment,” said a local resident.
Local administration officials, including the Block Development Officer (BDO), assured that relief measures are being coordinated and cooked food as well as dry rations are being dispatched to the affected areas.
Further west, intense rainfall damaged an embankment at Solghara in Sambalpur.
Across the state, the flood situation has been compounded by heavy rain in the upper catchment of the Mahanadi. Authorities at the Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur opened four additional sluice gates, bringing the total to 12, to manage rising reservoir levels approaching the full capacity of 630 feet. Excess water is being discharged downstream, and officials have alerted residents in low-lying areas along the Mahanadi to remain vigilant.
The IMD has warned of heavy rainfall in several northern and western districts – Sundaragada, Jharsuguda, Baragada and Sambalpur – over the next six days. District administrations in affected areas, including Bhadrak and Jajpur, are monitoring embankments, keeping relief and rescue teams on standby, and initiating support for displaced families. Water Resources Department teams have faced challenges repairing breaches due to strong currents.
People in vulnerable low-lying area have been urged to stay alert and move to safer locations if needed as weather systems evolve.