Bhubaneswar: Normal life in Odisha was thrown out of gear Wednesday, as the low pressure induced incessant rainfall inundated several areas in the southern districts of Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur, while over 100 villages continued to remain marooned due to river flood in the north, officials said.
The entire state, including the flood-hit Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, received heavy rain, and its intensity increased after the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal off Odisha coasts became well-marked in the morning, the IMD said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Koraput and Malkangiri districts till 8.30 am Thursday.
The weather office also predicted heavy rainfall in 28 other districts.
Under the influence of the well-marked low pressure, the state is set to encounter another prolonged spell of rainfall for the next three days, officials said.
According to the revenue and disaster management department sources, Jeypore received the highest 19 cm of rainfall, followed by Kotpad 16 cm, Borigumma 16 cm, Nandahandi and Nandapur 13 cm each, Lamataput and Koraput 12 cm and Similiguda 11 cm.
A report from the Koraput district said that some villages under the Boipariguda block were inundated due to 306 mm of rainfall. Boipariguda was followed by Boriguma, which received 155.8 mm of rainfall. Six blocks of Koraput received over 100 mm of rain, while the district as a whole registered an average rainfall of 115 mm.
The downpour in Koraput has led to the snapping of road communication with neighbouring Telangana and Chhattisgarh as rainwater flowed on National Highway-326 near Keraput Chhack under Boipariguda block.
A revenue department official at Koraput said that the disruption occurred after the Kururu river swelled and spilled over, submerging a stretch of the highway.
Traffic on the NH connecting Telengana came to a standstill, with hundreds of vehicles, including long-distance passenger buses and goods carriers, stranded on both sides.
Eyewitnesses said water was flowing nearly four feet above the road, making it extremely unsafe for vehicles to cross.
“Buses and trucks have been waiting for hours. We cannot risk moving until the water recedes,” said a driver stuck on the highway.
Jeypore town also witnessed widespread waterlogging. Several low-lying areas were inundated as rainwater entered houses, forcing residents to spend hours draining water from their homes.
Malkangiri district also reported a similar situation, as the people were unable to come out of their houses due to incessant rain since Tuesday afternoon.
Normal life was also affected in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, and other southern Odisha districts.
Keeping in view the incessant rain in the southern region, the Railways cancelled at least two trains and short-terminated several others. The up and down night express trains between Visakhapatnam and Kirandul were cancelled Wednesday.
Another report said that though the water level in major rivers, including Subarnarekha and Baitarani, fell below the danger level at all places in north Odisha, the miseries of the people have been compounded due to rain.
The affected people in Baliapal, Bhograi and Jaleswar block in Balasore district, Dasrathpur in Jajpur district, Dhamnagar, Tihidi and Bhandaripokhari in Bhadrak district, were unable to return to their villages as the flood water still stands around four feet high on roads even as the water level in rivers receded, said a revenue department official.
The people were being provided with cooked food in relief centres and dry food at their villages. Some people stay on the first floor of the pucca building in some villages of Balasore and Jajpur, they said.
Water Resource Department Engineer-in-Chief CS Padhi said no fresh flood threat has been reported from other rivers across the state.
It would take some time for water to drain out from low-lying areas where inundation has occurred.
PTI
