Kendujhar: In view of heavy rainfall, the collector in Odisha’s Kendujhar district has declared a holiday for all schools and Anganwadi centres on Monday.
According to official sources, all government and private schools, as well as Anganwadi centres in the district will remain closed. Additionally, the public grievance redressal hearing that was scheduled to take place in the Joda block has also been postponed.
Similarly, in light of the worsening flood situation in Bhadrak district, the district collector has declared a one-day holiday for schools on Monday. A total of 271 schools across five affected blocks will remain closed. The affected blocks include Bhandaripokhari, Dhamnagar, Tihidi, Chandbali, and Basudevpur.
With the well-marked low pressure over Northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-North Odisha coasts expected to move northwestwards and concentrate into a Depression during the next 24 hours, the Met office here has issued a red warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy downpours, for Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Kendujhar, and Mayurbhanj districts on August 16. The red alert will continue for Baleshwar, Kendujhar, and Mayurbhanj into the second day as well.
Also Read: 48-Hour Red Alert Sounded In Odisha As LoPAR Intensifies Over Bay Of Bengal
Notably, Bhimkund, a prominent natural reservoir and eco-tourism destination on the Baitarani River in Kendujhar, has been partially submerged due to the sudden surge in water levels. Floodwaters in the area have reportedly crossed 60 feet, overflowing key embankments and tourist infrastructure.
Swirling floodwaters have entered villages and submerged over 400 acres of farmland, destroying standing crops and saplings, in Hatadihi block.
Incessant rainfall across the district has also triggered major landslides in the Judia Ghat area, causing large rocks and debris to roll down from the hills onto National Highway 49. The severe obstruction has brought vehicle movement along one side of the highway to a complete standstill for over 18 hours.
Notably, water levels at three river gauge stations across Odisha breached the danger mark on Sunday morning, with rising trends observed along the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers, according to data from the Central Water Commission and Odisha’s Department of Water Resources.
As of 9 AM on August, Brahmani River was above the danger mark of of 8.23 metre and 18.33 metre at both Indupur (8.47 m) and Akhuapada (18.53 m) respectively, while the Jalaka River at Mathani Road Bridge held steady at 6.52 metre, slightly over its 6.50 metre threshold.
In Bhadrak, heavy inflow from tributaries such as 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.
