Bhubaneswar: Torrential rainfall triggered by a persistent low-pressure system has severely aggravated the flood situation in Odisha, where swelling rivers have breached embankments, inundated dozens of villages, and severed vital road communication across Jajpur and Bhadrak districts.
Early Sunday morning, a portion of the embankment along the Kani River, a tributary of the Baitarani, collapsed at Patana village under Tarpada panchayat in Jajpur district. Locals reported that strong currents first uprooted a tree along the embankment edge overnight, after which the soil rapidly gave way, creating a breach of 30 feet long and 15 feet wide by 5am. Ground teams from the Water Resources Department, alongside local volunteers, immediately initiated emergency reinforcement work using sandbags and wooden scaffolding. However, incessant rains have heavily hampered restoration efforts.
In response, Fire Services personnel launched urgent evacuation operations, moving affected families to safer elevated ground along the main Baitarani embankment.
Simultaneously, a more than 40-foot section of the Baitarani river embankment caved in near Kuanr Sahi in Ward No. 4 of Duduranta panchayat under Dasarathpur block. Officials and staff from the Water Resources Department reached the site and oversaw repairs using sandbags, bamboo poles and other materials, assisted by local residents. Nearly 40 per cent of the embankment near Kuanrpur in the same block has also collapsed overnight under intense water pressure, while a protective ring bund near Jayantira panchayat breached, allowing floodwaters to enter main village roads and residential areas. Floodwaters also re-entered several villages through a previous breach at Dobhavila Patana, leaving places including Tarpada, Kaspa, Mallikapur and Jayantira heavily submerged and stranding numerous residents.
In Dasarathpur and Jajpur blocks, the rising waters submerged vast tracts of agricultural land, ruined standing paddy crops for the fourth time this season in some areas, and forced dozens of families to seek temporary shelter in tarpaulin structures on elevated embankments and roadways. Many residents remained stranded inside flooded homes.
At the Akhuapada gauge station in neighbouring Bhadrak district, the Baitarani was recorded flowing at 18.38 metres at 7 am, above the danger mark of 18.33 metres, after earlier readings near 18.35 metres. Heavy inflow from tributaries such as the Genguti and Kani, combined with incessant rainfall, raised the prospect of a fresh wave of inundation in low-lying areas. Overflow of two to three feet submerged key routes including the Bhadrak-RD road, the Kothar-Surjipur route and roads toward Akhandalamani, cutting off communication and isolating dozens of villages, particularly in Bhandaripokhari and Dhamnagar blocks. Floodwaters also disrupted connectivity on the Bhadrak-Aradi, Dhusuri-Hasanabad and Patrisahi-Fatepur roads, with knee-to waist-deep water bringing vehicular movement to a standstill in places linking Mada, Samapur and Rahania panchayats. Some 12 panchayats in Dhamnagar, along with others in Tihidi and Chandbali, faced inundation.
With floodwaters rushing into homes, hundreds of displaced families have been forced to pitch makeshift tarpaulin shelters along elevated roadways and embankments.
The Bhadrak district administration responded by setting up seven to eight relief camps and shelter points, including multipurpose cyclone shelters and schools, while organising free community kitchens to supply cooked food, dry rations and drinking water. Field officials stayed on high alert for further evacuations.
In light of the worsening flood situation across the region, the Bhadrak Collector has issued an urgent order cancelling all leave for government officers and employees. All government personnel currently on leave have been instructed to report back for duty immediately. Furthermore, all officials and staff members have been ordered to remain present at their respective headquarters to ensure a swift and coordinated response to the emerging crisis.
Meanwhile, in Baleshwar district, water levels in the Subarnarekha River dropped below the danger mark at Rajghat to 9.49 metres, bringing partial relief, with the neighbouring Jalaka River continuing to flow above its critical limit at Mathani (6.54 metres), leaving large agricultural swathes in Baliapal and Basta blocks submerged under stagnant floodwaters.