The Odisha government is gearing up its preparation to deal with a "medium flood" in the Mahanadi river basin even as several areas across districts have been inundated due to heavy rain over the last few days, officials said on Monday.
Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra held a meeting during the day to review the preparedness of the district administrations to tackle the situation, they said.
The water level in the river is gradually rising due to downpour in the upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh after a depression moved in the north-west direction, the CS said.
The situation has been aggravated by heavy rainfall in the western districts of the state, he said.
“We are expecting that 10.5 lakh cusec water will flow through Mundali barrage near Cuttack by Monday evening, which may cause a medium flood in the delta region," the chief secretary said. Collectors of districts concerned have been asked to remain on alert and monitor the situation.