Even as Baitarani river wrought havoc in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts with over 70,000 people having been affected in the floods and floods in several other rivers brought immense hardships for the residents across the State, a release of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) on Tuesday told people not to go panicky. It said that all the major rivers were showing a receding trend, while Devi, Brahmani, Subarnarekha, Vansadhara and Rusikulya were flowing little over the danger level.
Meanwhile, the low pressure induced heavy rains during the last five days led to death of at least three people so far. Two persons were missing in Kaptipada in Mayurbhanj district, the SRC office said.
The flash floods also washed away roads while disrupting public transport in many places particularly in Kalahandi and Balangir districts. The districts of Jajpur, Keonjhar, Kalahandi and Bhadrak remained the worst-hit, the official sources said.
The SRC office sources said that major rivers such as Mahanadi at Naraj, Kushabhadra at Nimapadaa, Baitarani at Anadapur, Budhabalang at Govindpur, Subarnarekha at Rajghat and Vansdhara at Kashinagar were flowing below danger level.
The water level would further recede as there was virtually no rain on Tuesday. However, the local Met office in its forecast said that the south west monsoon was now vigorous in Odisha and rain or thunder shower would occur at many places over the State. It said that the Monday’s depression over north eastern parts of Odisha and adjoining areas of Gangetic West Bengal moved west -north ward and lay centered over north Chhattisgarh and neighbourhood areas. The system would move west -northwest ward during the next 24 hours and weaken gradually, it said. Though the depression would induce rain in Chhattisgarh, it would not affect Odisha, it informed.