Odisha floods: Cities inundated as CM announces Rs 1,000 crore relief package

Heavy rainfall triggered by a depression has deepened the flood crisis over the past 24 hours in Odisha's northern districts. Officials said on Tuesday, August 18 river levels continue to rise across several regions across the state.

After touring flood-hit villages in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held a high-level review meeting to assess the situation and outline immediate response measures. 

Nearly 9.40 lakh people have been affected by the floods, and the state government has evacuated 3.30 lakh of them so far, the CM said.

Announcing a Rs 1,000 crore relief package for the flood-affected areas, Majhi said the amount was based on a preliminary assessment and that more funds would follow once a detailed damage report came in from the affected districts. 

"Rs 1,000 crore package is announced based on the preliminary estimation and additional funds would be provided if required after getting the detailed damage assessment from the flood-hit districts," he told reporters after reviewing the situation in six districts namely Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Kendrapara.

The relief measures include agricultural input subsidies for farmers whose crops were destroyed, distribution of seeds, repair of lift irrigation projects, and support for people who have lost their sources of livelihood, the chief minister said, adding that this marks the second wave of flooding to hit the state this monsoon season.

Weather outlook

Although the depression that formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal has since moved towards Jharkhand and adjoining parts of Gangetic West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that very heavy rainfall could continue in parts of Odisha through Tuesday.

An orange alert signalling the need to be prepared for action has been issued for heavy to very heavy rain in Sundergarh, Jharsuguda and Bargarh districts, while a yellow alert is in place for Sambalpur, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Subarnapur and Bolangir. The weather office has also flagged the possibility of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of up to 30-40 kmph across these districts, and has advised fishermen to stay off the Odisha coast on Tuesday given expected rough sea conditions.

Rainfall and river levels

Data from the Special Relief Commissioner's office showed Bahalda in Mayurbhanj district recorded 273 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, the highest in the state followed by Rairangpur at 207 mm and Balasore at 93.1 mm.

Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said water levels in the Baitarani and Brahmani rivers, which have already caused flooding in Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara, were currently stable but could rise again if heavy rain continues in Sundergarh and Jharsuguda. He added that the Subarnarekha river may also swell due to rainfall in Jharkhand's upper catchment areas, with excess water expected to reach Balasore by Wednesday and potentially flood the Basta, Baliapal and Jaleswar blocks.

Rout, however, ruled out major flooding along the Mahanadi river system. He said around 4 lakh cusecs of water is expected to flow at Mundali near Cuttack after authorities released water through 10 gates at the Hirakud dam, which is currently at 619.97 feet against its full reservoir level of 630 feet.

Relief operations

The state has scaled up rescue and relief work in the affected districts, deploying 45 teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), eight National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 53 fire service units.

(With inputs from PTI)