As many as 17 persons have died and over 14 lakh people affected due to floods in 20 districts in the State, informed Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena at a Press meet here on Sunday.
According to a flood situation report presented by Jena and Water Resources Secretary Anu Garg, 20 districts, Angul, Baleswar, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Puri, Sambalpur, Sonepur and Sundergarh have been affected.
A total of 14,32,701 people belonging to 3,256 villages of 896 gram panchayats under 112 blocks and 75 wards of 21 urban local bodies have been affected by floods.
As many as 340 villages and 2,65,723 people have been marooned. Jena said 357 free kitchens were opened on Sunday covering 57,824 beneficiaries in the affected regions.
Nearly 10,382 houses were damaged and 1,68,904 hectares of crop area affected in the floods, the report said.
The report said a total of 45 medical and 42 veterinaries, 14 NDRF, 17 ODRAF, 22 Fire Service teams, and 254 boats were pressed into service in the affected areas.
The floods submerged 107 roads in 11 districts and caused breaches on 32 river embankments in five districts, he said.
Jena said a slight improvement was marked in the water inflow into the Hirakud Dam on Sunday. While inflow of 6,88,989 cusec water into the Hirakud reservoir was recorded, the discharge quantum was 7,16,368 cusec water.
Jena said inflow into the Hirakud reservoir started showing a decline from 4 am on Sunday. The Mahanadi was flowing with 10,02,823 cusec water at the Mundali barrage, he informed. The Mahanadi and the Paika rivers were flowing above danger levels at different places.
The Devi river, a tributary of Mahanadi, was flowing above danger level at Daleighai under Biridi block in Jagatsinghpur district. The water level was recorded at 57.40 ft against the red mark of 57 ft. The river was also flowing above danger level at Machhgaon.
The Mahanadi was flowing above danger level at Tarpur. The water levels in the Baitarani and the Brahmani rivers were receding, Jena added.
