Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will undertake an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Baleshwar and Kendujhar districts in Odisha at 10 am on Saturday.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil will accompany him on the inspection, after which the Chief Minister is expected to review ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Majhi, who was on a four-day visit to New Delhi, had earlier directed the Chief Secretary, the Special Relief Commissioner and other senior officials to closely monitor the flood situation and implement all necessary measures to address the crisis. He had also deputed three senior IAS officers to oversee flood management in Baleshwar, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts.
Following instructions from the CM, Pujari also conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions of Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendujhar on Thursday to assess the extent of inundation and review the progress of rescue and relief work.
Raj Dharma
The CM’s trip to the national capital had triggered a political storm in Odisha, with Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, accusing Majhi and senior leaders of “feasting in Delhi” while the state faced serious flood threats from heavy rains. Pujari, however, defended the CM, calling the trip a crucial fulfilment of “Raj Dharma”.
Rebutting the jibe, the Minister explained that CM Majhi was in the national capital to attend a high-level tripartite meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil. Joined by Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Dev Sai, the leaders addressed the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute, an issue Pujari noted the previous BJD administration failed to resolve.
Questioning Naveen’s own absence on the ground, Pujari emphasized that the current administration is actively managing the crisis.
Flood Situation
The floods, triggered by heavy monsoon rainfall triggered by a deep depression, have affected 57 blocks, 446 gram panchayats, 1,362 villages, 11 urban local bodies, and over 70 municipal wards across 15 affected districts, impacting nearly 7.91 lakh people. Over 2.68 lakh residents remain marooned in flooded villages, and approximately 700 houses have sustained damage. The agricultural sector has taken a heavy hit, with standing crops across 28,943 hectares submerged.
Earlier speaking to the media, Patil confirmed that more than 1.90 lakh residents have already been evacuated to safer places. “The state has operationalised 520 relief centres equipped to shelter up to two lakh displaced individuals,” he said, adding that emergency supplies are being continuously distributed to affected people.
A total of 136 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and Fire Services have been deployed across vulnerable zones to carry out ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, a mild flood situation in the Mahanadi river system has escalated rapidly after authorities released over 2 lakh cusecs of floodwater from the Hirakud Dam to manage heavy inflows from upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh. The state government is closely monitoring the downstream flow, particularly in vulnerable districts along the Mahanadi river system, where floodwaters have submerged agricultural lands and breached villages in low-lying areas. Kataka, Puri, Khordha, and Jagatsinghpur district have been put on high alert.