Bhubaneswar: Floodwaters have begun receding in parts of northern Odisha after days of heavy inundation, yet thousands of residents in Odisha’s Jajpur and Bhadrak districts continue to grapple with widespread devastation and severe hardship.
Despite the Baitarani River dropping below the danger threshold in some stretches, the aftermath of the deluge has left homes destroyed, farmlands ruined, commercial hubs crippled and villages isolated.
In Jajpur district, the crisis intensified after seven breaches developed along the embankments of the Brahmani, Baitarani and Kani rivers, inundating large areas and affecting more than one lakh people across nearly 250 villages. Water continued to pour through the gaps, submerging homesteads and forcing hundreds of families into relief centres and temporary shelters. The worst-hit zones include Dasarathpur and Jajpur blocks, where multiple panchayats such as Doba, Similia, Tarapada and others remain severely impacted. In Dasarathpur alone, breaches along the Kani River—a key distributary of the Baitarani—measuring 50 to 80 feet or more submerged 56 revenue villages across 19 panchayats, affecting around 30,000 residents.
As waters slowly withdrew, the full scale of destruction became clear. Strong currents collapsed or heavily damaged hundreds of kutcha mud and thatched houses, leaving dozens of families living under open skies or in makeshift polythene shelters. Floodwaters unexpectedly entered homes, destroying stored food grains, cooking utensils and household belongings.
In Bhadrak’s Arnapal Panchayat and nearby areas, over 400 households suffered severe impacts, with houses flooded and standing crops wiped out. Residents near Raju Ghai voiced anguish over lost livelihoods, the annual recurrence of flooding and the lack of healthcare access during prolonged waterlogging.
Agriculture has borne a particularly heavy toll. Vast tracts of farmland in Jajpur lay under four to five feet of stagnant water for nearly five days, completely rotting vegetable cash crops such as pointed gourd and okra as well as standing paddy. Farmers who had invested heavily through loans face total financial ruin after losing daily harvests of several quintals and are urgently seeking government compensation. Similar crop losses have been reported across affected areas in Bhadrak.
Commercial activity has also been shattered. At the prominent Ahiyas Market in Dasarathpur block, floodwaters rising up to four feet and stagnating for three to four days swept through more than 300 retail establishments, destroying stock worth tens of lakhs of rupees. Perishable goods, pharmaceuticals, clothing, stationery, cement and hardware were all ruined by mud, silt and moisture. Traders described the scene as total loss, with nothing spared, and have appealed for immediate financial assessment and relief packages to rebuild their businesses. Major roads including Ahiyas–Baishapal and Ahiyas–Kafi were cut off, isolating dozens of villages.
Statewide, the floods have affected around eight lakh people across multiple districts, with over 2.69 lakh evacuated to safer locations. Authorities have set up hundreds of relief camps providing food, drinking water, medical aid and temporary shelter. NDRF and ODRAF teams, along with fire services, have conducted round-the-clock rescue and evacuation operations. State ministers, including Deputy CMs — Pravati Parida for Bhadrak, Baleshwar and Jajpur, and KV Singh Deo for Kendrapaa and Jagatsinghpur— have been directed to monitor relief distribution, verify evacuations and pursue a zero-casualty objective.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi conducted an aerial survey of affected blocks in Jajpur, Bhadrak and neighbouring districts, directing officials to complete damage assessments within three days of waters fully receding so that relief packages for houses and crops can be announced promptly.
While local administrations report ongoing monitoring and efforts to fortify embankments and restore connectivity, some isolated residents have complained of delays in receiving adequate food and drinking water. Victims continue to appeal for swift emergency aid and official surveys to enable compensation for destroyed homes and lost crops as they confront the long road to recovery.
