Baleshwar: The flood situation in Odisha remained grim Wednesday as the Subarnarekha River, which is in spate, inundated 100 more villages in Baleshwar district, officials said.
The fresh inundation was caused by low-pressure-induced heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas in neighbouring Jharkhand, prompting the state government to gear up relief and rescue operations in the affected areas, they said.
A total of 146 villages in Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts, besides Baripara town, were affected by flooding in Budhabalanga and Brahmani rivers Tuesday, the officials said.
The water level of Subarnarekha increased after excess water was released through 13 gates of Galudih Barrage in Jharkhand. The water level of the river touched 11.54 metres in Rajghat at 9 am Wednesday against the danger mark of 10.36 metres.
The fresh flooding in Subarnarekha, the third instance in the river this year, has submerged villages in Baliapal, Jaleswar and Bhograi blocks, the officials said, adding that several areas remained cut off.
Road connectivity has also been snapped in the affected areas in Baleshwar district, they said.
The water level in Budhabalanga, which flooded some areas in Remuna and Sadar blocks in Baleshwar district Tuesday night, however, showed a receding trend this morning.
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The flood situation in Mayurbhanj district has also started showing signs of improvement due to receding water levels of Budhabalanga River. Many of the 5,000 people who took shelter in relief camps started returning to their villages this morning, the officials said.
The situation in Jajpur, however, remained the same as the water level in Brahmani River was unchanged.
As many as 62 villages in Jajpur district remained inundated and the district administration declared closure of schools and Anganwadi centres for a day in wake of the inundation and water-logging.
Low-lying areas in Dasarathpur, Bari and Binjharpur blocks of the district have been inundated. Dasarathpur remained impacted by floods for nearly 57 days since the first week of July, the officials said.
Baitarani River was flowing at 18.20 metres, just below the danger level of 18.33 metres, at Akhuapada in Bhadrak. Bhadrak’s Bhandaripokhari, Dhamnagar, Chandbali and Tihidi blocks also feared fresh flooding, they said.
According to the latest bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the well-marked low-pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand lay over western Jharkhand and the neighbouring areas at 5.30 am.
It is likely to move west-northwestwards across southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh over the next 24 hours. Under its influence, light to moderate rainfall is expected in most places of Odisha, and heavy rainfall in isolated places, Wednesday.
Tiring in Mayurbhanj district received the highest rainfall of 42.8 mm till 8.30 am.
