Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the gradual rise in the water level of the Mahanadi, the Odisha government on Monday sounded flood alert in six riverside districts.
Sources in the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said the collectors of Jajpur, Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Khurda districts have been asked to remain on high alert to deal with any emergency situation.
Besides, the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) and the Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVIs) of these districts have been asked to take necessary steps and caution the people while plying their vehicles on the roads that are likely to be affected by the floodwater.
Besides, the mobile rescue team have been directed to shift the people of the low-lying areas to safer places and keep a close watch on the weak embankments.
Meanwhile, heavy rain in Boudh district has disrupted normal life.
Due to the rise in the water level of Mahanadi and its tributary Tel river, road communication has been disrupted in some parts of the district. Road communication to Chandigarh village has been disrupted as the floodwater has swept bridge near the village.
Besides, road communication between Boudh and Kandhamal has been cut off due to overflowing of floodwater at a height of about 5 feet over a diversion at Ranipathar.
The flood situation in some blocks in the district has become imminent due to swelling of Laxmi Nullah.
The district has recorded 380 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours.
In Cuttack district, officials in the control rooms at Mundali, Naraj and Jobra barrages are strictly monitoring the water level of Mahanadi with report to the SRC about the situation in every one hour.
Till reports last came in, the first floodwater of Mahanadi has entered the Banki sub-division. Road communication between Banki and Bilipada has been cut off as the floodwater is flowing on a bridge near Kanianala. There is a possibility of floodwater entering other low-lying areas of Banki and Athgarh sub-division through the Chandrapa Nullah between Kalapathar and Banki.
Sources in the SRC office said that 6.8 lakh cusecs of floodwater per second were being discharged from the Khairmal barrage at about 6 am on Saturday. Keeping the gradual rise in the water level at Khairmal, it is expected that within 8-10 hours, more floodwater would arrive from Khairmal to Mundali barrage where 7.11 lakh cusecs of floodwater per second were being discharged by 10 am.
Talking to mediapersons, Anant Gopal Patnaik, assistant executive engineer of Mundali barrage, said About 8 lakh cusecs of floodwater is likely to be discharged from the Mundali barrage by the evening.
As against the danger mark of 97.25 feet at Mundali barrage, the water level of Mahanadi was recorded at 91 feet by 10 am, he added.
According to reports from Narasinghpur division in Cuttack district, the Endowment officials have shifted the idol of Goddess Bhattarika in the Badamba block after the floodwater of Mahanadi entered into the temple in the morning.
Following heavy rainfall in the upper catchments, the water level in the Hirakud reservoir is gradually on the rise.
As informed by Jyotirmaya Rath, chief engineer of Hirakud Dam, the water level of the reservoir was 615.43 feet by 9 am on Monday.
Stating that the present inflow of water into the reservoir is 2,05,362 cusecs per second, he said the gates of the dam would be opened on Tuesday.
“However, keeping the present water level of the river in the downstream areas, we will decide the number of gates of the dam to be opened tomorrow,” he pointed out.
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