Bhubaneswar/Brahmapur: Nearly 300 villages in Odisha’s Ganjam district remain surrounded by floodwaters, with about 2,000 people stranded, after exceptionally heavy rainfall triggered flooding in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab.
Speaking at a news conference at Secha Sadan, Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Raut said authorities had not expected rainfall of such intensity.
Patrapur block recorded 546 mm of rain in 24 hours, the highest in the state during the period. Sanakhemundi received 388 mm, Sorada 375 mm and Chikiti 309 mm.
The intense rainfall caused the Rushikulya and Ghodahada rivers to swell beyond their danger levels, inundating agricultural fields, roads and residential areas across the district.
Floodwaters have left several villages cut off, while rescue and relief efforts face the challenge of reaching people in affected areas.
