Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s four districts are facing an imminent flood threat as at least three rivers have swelled to the brink of the danger mark following heavy rains induced by a deep depression, officials said on Tuesday.
The state government has kept Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire service department and other agencies on standby to meet any exigency, and directed officials to shift people from the vulnerable areas to safety.
Odisha’s northern region has been witnessing heavy rains for the past three days. In the coastal area, Baleshwar town recorded 246.6 mm of rainfall during the period, followed by Nilgiri (239 mm), Jaipur (236.8 mm), Remuna (222 mm) and Govindpur (213.8 mm), the IMD said.
Chief engineer of the water resources department, Dilip Kumar Rout, said if the waters of the swollen Jalaka, Salandi and Baitarani rivers overflow, it could cause heavy flooding in Baleshwar, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts.
“The water level in these rivers is showing a rising trend and may cross the danger mark soon,” he told reporters here.
Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said the government has positioned ODRAF, NDRF and fire service teams in vulnerable areas. “District officials have been told to evacuate people to safety,” he said.
Official sources in Balasore district said that due to incessant rain, waters of the Jalaka river have spilt onto the headquarters town and parts of Nilgiri, entering residential areas and disrupting road traffic. “The situation could aggravate by the evening,” an official at the flood emergency cell said.
About the possibility of the Mahanadi and Subarnarekha, the two major rivers in the coastal and northern regions, overflowing, Rout said, “Discharge gates of the Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi have been shut, and the water level in the reservoir is being maintained at 611/612 feet against its capacity of 630 feet.”
“While 6.50 lakh cusec of water is flowing through Mundali near Kataka, it will come down to 6 lakh cusec by evening,” he said while apprehending some low-lying areas such as Puri district’s Nimapada and Jagatsingpur may witness some flooding for a couple of days.
The water level of the Budhabalang river has been showing a rising trend following incessant downpours in the Similipal Hills, threatening Mayurbhanj district with heavy flooding.
“We are ready to deal with the situation. Ten multi-purpose flood and cyclone shelters have been made ready in the district, while schools and community centres have also been prepped up.
“People living in vulnerable areas are being shifted to safety and food has been arranged for them,” Additional District Magistrate Ishwar Chandra Naik said.
Bhadrak witnessed the season’s first flood with water from the Salandi river inundating vast stretches of agricultural land and causing extensive damage to crops after the gates of the Hadagarh Dam were opened following heavy rainfall in the river’s upper catchment.