Odisha rain: Over 73,000 affected, 40,000 evacuated as rivers rise

Heavy rain triggered by a deep depression has affected more than 73,000 people across 10 districts of Odisha, with over 40,000 people evacuated to safer locations, officials said on Saturday.

Heavy rain triggered by a deep depression has affected more than 73,000 people across 10 districts of Odisha, with over 40,000 people evacuated to safer locations, officials said on Saturday.

The affected areas include 80 blocks, 325 gram panchayats, 1,071 villages and 49 wards in 10 urban local bodies, according to the latest government assessment.

Sixteen villages have remained waterlogged, while 721 houses were partially or fully damaged and 4,480 hectares of cropland were affected. Mayurbhanj was among the worst-affected districts, with 20,475 people affected in 144 villages across 20 blocks.

There has been no report of human or livestock casualties so far.

Meanwhile, rising water levels in several rivers have raised fears of flooding in parts of the state. The Subarnarekha river was rising following heavy rain in its upper catchment, raising fears of flooding in the Basta, Baliapal, Bhograi and Jaleswar areas.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said southern Odisha had been particularly affected, with Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts witnessing widespread impact.

Pujari said heavy rain in the upper catchments of Chhattisgarh has increased water flow in the Mahanadi, while rainfall in Jharkhand is expected to affect parts of northern Odisha, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.

Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More