Bhubaneswar: Threat of an imminent flood loomed large over several parts of the state following an alert issued by the State Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethy late Sunday stating that about 7.5 to 8.0 lakh cusec of water may pass at Munduli around late afternoon/ evening Monday resulting in low to medium flood situation in the Mahanadi system.
According to the notice, a flood magnitude of several lakhs cusecs of flood has been at Khairmal gauging station Sunday 3pm due to torrential arid incessant rainfall in the Mahanadi basin during last 36 hours in Bargarh, Sambalpur, Khurda, Boudh, Deogarh districts and recorded in the catchment area of Tel system. The flow has been observed to be constant at 6pm and it is expected that a medium flood magnitude of about 8.00 lakh cusecs likely to pass Monday afternoon at Mahanadi delta head at Munduli. This flow is expected without any contribution from Hirakud dam as no gates has been opened.
The DoWR officers of Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts have been kept under high alert for watch and ward of the river embankments.
The district administration
may be impressed upon to remain vigilant over the ensuing flood
situations.
The notice has alerted field functionaries to draw up an emergency plans to meet any eventuality as well as issue directions to all RTOs and MVIs to keep a close watch on plying of vehicles in the situation of overflowing of flood water on the roads. The SRC has also directed local authorities to depute mobile teams for close watch on vulnerable/weak river and canal embankments as well as to ensure functioning of control room round-the- clock.
At the same time, directions have been issued to the field functionaries to visit the multi-purpose flood/cyclone shelters. It instructed the alert shelter management committees to make the shelters operational and treat the notice as most urgent.
An earlier report said incessant rains triggered by a low pressure in Bay of Bengal that caused havoc in many parts of the state Saturday throwing normal life out of gear, has improved Sunday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday claimed that there was neither any casualty nor any major breakdown due to heavy rains that lashed across the state Saturday.
In a statement, Patnaik said Saturday’s rainfall was more than the Super Cyclone and Phailin
the state witnessed in the past, but no casualty and major breakdown.
However, another report said two people died in rain-related incidents in the state even as downpour subsided. One person was swept away by flood water in Kalamati village in Sambalpur district while another died of snakebite in Tarava block of Sonepur district, they said. SRC Sethy said the situation is almost normal in Puri, Khordha, Kalahandi, Malkangiri and Nawarangpur districts, while it is improving in Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Rayagada and Jajpur districts.
Major cities and towns in the state including the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack experienced serious water logging due to heavy downpour Saturday bringing misery to lakhs of people.
In south Odisha, road communication was disrupted and several places remained cut off from the rest of the world as rain and flood water over topped the roads and bridges. Flood water at many places seen flowing two to three feet above the road level. Authorities have pressed 11 Odisha Disaster Response Force (ODRAF) teams, 85 Fire Service units for relief and rescue operation and deployed hundreds of high power pump for dewatering in the areas inundated by rain water. Sethy said in Sambalpur alone 1.25 lakh people have been affected in the rain and 326 people were evacuated by the rescue team form the marooned areas.
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