Bhubaneswar: Amid fears of floods and landslides in south Odisha due to heavy rain triggered by the deep depression, the state government has deputed four senior ministers to the affected region to oversee preparedness and relief measures.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the state government has taken prompt steps to evacuate people living in low-lying and landslide-prone areas in view of incessant rains.
He said Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik has been sent to Koraput, while Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik has moved to Gajapati district to monitor the situation on the ground and assist the district administrations.
As reports of more rain and waterlogging poured in from southern districts, the state government asked two more Ministers — Bibhuti Bhusan Jena (Transport) and Nityananda Gond (School and Mass Education) — to proceed to Ganjam and Nabarangpur districts, respectively.
While Jena will reach Ganjam by Thursday night, Gond will leave for Nabarangpur on Friday after attending Question Hour in the Assembly, Pujari said.
Additionally, four senior officers had also been rushed to the affected districts to monitor relief operations and assess the damage, he said.
The ongoing rains triggered by the deep depression had affected at least six districts — Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nabarangpur.
The ruling BJP had also asked party MLAs whose constituencies had been identified as vulnerable to visit their respective areas and assist the local administration, said Pujari.
Keeping in view Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s direction to ensure “zero casualty”, Pujari said, “We have evacuated 8,082 people by Thursday noon, and the process is continuing. The district collectors have been asked to shift people from vulnerable waterlogging areas.”
Asserting that the situation was under control, Pujari said reports of uprooted trees, landslides, waterlogging, road blockades and rainwater overflowing onto roads had been received from the affected districts.
However, there was no report of any injury or casualty so far, he said.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that rainfall intensity would increase as the system was likely to enter Odisha near Koraput in the evening. It said heavy rain would continue for the next two days.
An average of 70 mm of rainfall was recorded in the state in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday, with Semiliguda in Koraput district recording the highest rainfall of 193.9 mm, IMD said.
At least 17 places across the state received more than 100 mm of rainfall.
The weather office issued a red alert, asking authorities to “take action”, and forecast more than 20 cm of rainfall in Nabarangpur district.
Six other districts — Bargarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Koraput and Malkangiri — placed under an orange alert, with heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm forecast over the next 24 hours.
A yellow alert was issued for nine other districts — Balasore, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kandhamal and Rayagada — for the possibility of 7-11 cm of rainfall.
The Water Resources Department, in a statement, said officials had intensified night patrolling and field-level vigilance at strategic locations across the state in view of the heavy rainfall.
Engineering officers and field staff were maintaining a close watch on critical water infrastructure, it said, adding that water levels in the Jalaka and Budhabalang rivers in Balasore district were rising.
The IMD said squally weather conditions would prevail along coastal areas, with winds gusting up to 70 kmph, and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till Friday morning.
Meanwhile, a report from Malkangiri said 4-5 feet of rainwater was flowing over four low-level bridges — Poteru, Kangurukonda, Kanyashram and MV-90 — on National Highway 326.
As a result, vehicular movement on the Malkangiri-Motu National Highway had been completely stopped, the report said.
Communication to Kalimela, Motu and Padia blocks had also been cut off, while hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the bridges. Officials said the bridge on the Malkangiri-Chhattisgarh road was also submerged.
Water levels in the Balimela, Satiguda and Jalaput reservoirs had increased, they said.
The Balimela-Chitrakonda ghat road was closed due to heavy water flow in the upper nala and the risk of landslides, officials said.
Tribal-dominated Koraput also received heavy rain in the last 24 hours. However, officials said there were no reports of casualties, injuries or major disruption to traffic in the district.
Roadside trees were uprooted at several places in Borigumma, Narayanpatna and Pottangi areas, with fire personnel and ODRAF teams engaged in clearing the roads.
“Presently, the situation is under control and officials have been kept on high alert to prevent any untoward incident. Traffic movement has not been affected in any part of the district,” Koraput Collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan said.
