Baripada: Travelling on a tractor on Friday afternoon, the local MLA, accompanied by the Mayurbhanj Collector and SP, inspected the flooded areas near Nakhara bridge, where around three feet of water was reported flowing over the old and vulnerable structure, completely halting traffic on the busy Baishinga-Manatri-Udala road and leaving vehicles stranded on both sides.
They had remained on the ground all through the night as the district administrative teams continued to closely monitor riverine settlements and urged people to stay vigilant.
Continuous heavy rainfall over the past two days and the swelling Budhabalanga, has caused severe flooding across Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, inundating houses and marooning villages and parts of Baripada town. In Betanati block alone, floodwaters have affected as many as 16 gram panchayats, leaving large stretches of agricultural land underwater and inundating roads and residential areas.
According to official assessments, nearly 22 blocks in the district are facing severe inundation, with a total of 45 villages across 28 gram panchayats submerged. In the district headquarters of Baripada, waterlogging has crippled daily life across six municipal wards, damaging residential structures and flooding major thoroughfares. Residents in riverside areas of Wards 7 and 8 remained particularly anxious as water levels continued to rise. In Ward No. 7 (Madhuban area), locals reported floodwaters entering homes to depths of five to six feet.
Distressed residents were also seen wading through knee-deep water and using buckets to bail water from flooded rooms, while displaced families spoke of the immense hardship caused by the destruction of key documents, furniture and personal belongings in the sudden surge. “Whenever intense downpours strike the upstream Similipal hill range, the Budhabalanga River rapidly overflows into low-lying town settlements downstream,” residents explained, adding that this is the worst flooding seen in the river system since Cyclone Phailin.
Similarly, four feet of water flowed over the Sarumula bridge at San Nai in Rasagobindpur block, disrupting vehicular movement along the Baripada-Amarda road. The Budhabalanga River also surged over the Kaliami bridge in Bangriposi, while overnight rain in Rairangpur drove up the Kanhu River, sending over three feet of water over the bridge on the Kaduani-Uparbeda road in Kusumi block.
While water levels have begun to slowly recede in certain pockets, panic persists among riverside inhabitants. With the weather remaining dynamic, all eyes are pinned on the fluctuating water levels of the Budhabalanga River, as any further rise could worsen the situation.
