Stress on management of Hirakud water: SRC
High flood is expected in the Mahanadi river system by Wednesday which is likely to continue for next two days as around 13 lakh cusec of water would pass through Mundali to the delta region.
Expecting a high flood by Wednesday noon in the coastal areas, the State Government concentrated its focus on Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who reviewed the flood situation through video conferencing with Collectors of 13 districts on Tuesday afternoon, asked the coastal region Collectors under the Mahanadi system to gear up for tackling a possible high flood situation in their respective areas. The concerned district authorities were asked to undertake immediate evacuation of people residing in the low-lying areas to safer places and open free kitchen to provide cooked food, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Mohapatra after a meeting held here.
The Chief Minister also directed the district authorities to mobilize ODRAF and NDRAF units for taking up rescue and relief operation if situation turned worse. The departments concerned were also directed to stock adequate quantity of fodder and initiate steps to provide safe drinking water and healthcare to the affected people. Patnaik also asked the Water Resources Department authorities to take steps for protection of river and canal embankments. Adequate sand bags should be kept ready at the vulnerable points and mobile engineering units be kept ready to monitor situation, the Department was told.
However, referring to the 2011 floods in Mahanadi when the Water Resources Department had regulated and discharged 14 lakh cusec of flood water into the delta system, the SRC said the flood situation would be within control and there should be no panic.
Despite the possibility of high floods, there is no need to seek the assistance of Air Force or Army at this moment, the SRC said. The flood situation in the Brahmani system was also grim as it affected large areas in Jajpur, Keonjhar and Bhadrakh districts rendering lakhs of people homeless. Though there was reduced rain during the 24 hours in the upper catchment and the water level in Baitarani river system started receding, the flood situation in the three districts, Keonjhar, Jajpur and Bhadrakh, was grim, said the SRC and all possible steps were being taken for the rescue of the affected persons and provide them with relief materials, the SRC said.
However, due to depression over Chhatisgarh region, there was continuous rain in the upper catchment of Hirakud reservoir and around 240 mm rainfall in Sambalpur and 250 mm rainfall was reported from Deogarah during the last 24 hours, Mohapatra said.
To avoid worst floods in the Mahanadi system, stress is being given on water management in the Hirakud reservoir. With inflow of around five lakh cusec of water, the Hirakud Dam authorities have opened 17 gates to discharge water downstream of the Mahanadi. More water is likely to be discharged into the Mahanadi from the reservoir in next two to three days, he said.
Meanwhile the depression induced torrential rains and floods have taken the toll of five more lives taking the total casualty during the last four days to eight. At least 15 people died in the first phase of rain and flood in June-July. Most of deaths were due to wall collapse and drowning, the SRC office said.
According to the local Met office, Tuesday morning’s deep depression over north Chattisgarh, adjoining Jharkhand and east Madhya Pradesh moved west-northwestwards and weakened into a depression. It further moved west-northwestwards and lay centered over northeast Madhya Pradesh and neighbourhood close to south of Sidhi. It would move in west-northwest direction during next 24 hours and weaken gradually further, the Met office said.
The weatherman said under its impact, rain or thundershower would occur at most places over interior Odisha and a few places over coastal Odisha during the next 24 hours while one or two places in interior Odisha would experience heavy to very heavy rainfall. Gusty surface wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph intensifying into 65kmph may prevail along and off the Odisha coast, it said, adding fishermen were advised not to venture into sea during the period.
The SRC said 21 districts including Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Nayagarah, Rayagada, Bolangir, Bhadrakh, Balasore, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Mayrurbhanj, Cuttack, Nuapada, Deogah, Angul and Jagatsinghpur were affected.
In Dhenkanal, a person was missing in Kankadahad block while ten villages were marooned and about 1,000 persons were affected. In Keonjhar, as many as 6,500 persons in 150 villages were affected and 25 villages were marooned due to floods in Baitarani.
In Kendrapada as many as four thousand people were affected and 755 houses damaged, while four persons died of wall collapse.