Odisha CM tours flood-hit districts as govt moves over 1 lakh people to relief camps

Odisha CM tours flood-hit districts as govt moves over 1 lakh people to relief camps

Koraput/Balasore/Bhadrak, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday directed officials to ensure that flood-affected people receive all essential assistance as he conducted an aerial survey and visited rain-hit areas.

The latest deep depression over the Bay of Bengal brought very heavy rainfall to several parts of the state, causing flooding and waterlogging in 13 districts across southern, coastal and western Odisha, officials said.

An alert of minor flood was issued in Mahanadi, which may cause inundation in five delta districts, they said.

While districts such as Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur were affected by heavy rain, rising water levels in rivers subsequently inundated parts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj in northern Odisha.

More than one lakh people have been moved from low-lying areas and sheltered at over 500 relief centres, officials said.

Balasore alone accounted for 67,266 such people after the deluge affected more than 3.5 lakh people in the district, they said.

The rise in the Mahanadi's water level has emerged as another challenge following the release of excess water from the Hirakud reservoir amid heavy rainfall in its upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh.

Majhi said he had inspected affected areas in Koraput and interacted with local residents to understand their difficulties.

The chief minister visited a relief camp at Chandili School in Koraput, where he inspected the food being served and spoke to residents, local representatives and officials.

"To ensure that food, purified drinking water, emergency medical services and other essential assistance reach the affected people without delay, instructions have been issued to the administration to further expedite the relief efforts," Majhi said in a social media post.

He later chaired a review meeting in Jeypore on the flood situation in Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. The meeting assessed the extent of inundation, affected areas, rescue and relief operations, facilities at relief shelters and damage caused by the heavy rainfall.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said families staying at relief shelters would be provided food, ration, clothes and other essential items for 15 days.

The meeting also stressed providing advance compensation or assistance to flood-affected people as per applicable norms, he said.

Officials were directed to drain stagnant water from agricultural fields.

"A technical team will be deployed to assess water drainage and suggest measures to enable farmers to resume cultivation once the water recedes," Pujari said.

Nabarangpur reported widespread waterlogging and inundation affecting several gram panchayats, while incessant rain in Malkangiri led to rising water levels in rivers and reservoirs and disrupted road connectivity in several areas.

Meanwhile, 28 gates of the Hirakud Dam were opened to discharge excess water from the reservoir, whose level stood at 628.35 feet against the full reservoir level of 630 feet.

Water Resources Department Chief Engineer Dilip Kumar Rout said around seven lakh cusecs of water would flow down the Mahanadi and reach Mundali near Cuttack on Sunday night.

The discharge could increase to eight lakh cusecs by Monday morning, he said.

The increased flow is likely to swell at least 10 tributaries of the Mahanadi and may cause inundation in Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and parts of Kendrapara districts, he added.

"A minor flood will continue in the Mahanadi for 24 to 48 hours and may cause inundation in the five districts in the delta region," he said.

Several areas of Banki, Athagarh and Badamba in Cuttack district had already been inundated, an official said.

The Subarnarekha was flowing at 11.20 metres at Rajghat in Balasore's Jaleswar at 7 pm, against the danger level of 10.36 metres, resulting in flooding of villages in Bhograi, Jaleswar, Baliapal and Basta blocks, officials said.

The Budhabalang was below its danger level, while smaller rivers such as Kansabansa, Soa and Gangahar were also in spate.

In Mayurbhanj, authorities temporarily closed Devkund, a tourist destination inside Similipal National Park, after several streams and water channels swelled significantly, an official said.

Jajpur and Bhadrak districts also reported severe flooding.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.