The floods in river Baitarani and its tributaries inundated large areas of villages under Dasarathpur and Bari blocks in Jajpur district on Tuesday.
The Baitarani breached at Patapur under Dasarathpur block, for which 20 villages were marooned. The administration shifted around 4,000 people to safer places, said district Collector Anil Kumar Samal.
The flood water also transgressed the weak embankments at many places in Dasarathpur block. Over 4,000 hectares of crop fields were damaged.
Gushing waters threatened to swallow more villages in vulnerable parts of the Bari, Dasarathapur, Badachana and Binjharpur areas,” said the Collector. “All the Government officials of the district have been directed not to leave their respective headquarters,” the Collector added.