Over 95,000 moved to safety as rivers swell in Odisha

The flood situation in six districts of Odisha remained grim on Saturday as heavy rains triggered by a depression battered the state over the past 24 hours, prompting the government to move more than 95,000 people from low-lying areas to safer locations, officials said.

According to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the floods have affected around 2.70 lakh people in 503 villages in 52 blocks of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Kendrapara districts.

These districts have been affected by flooding in the Baitarani, Brahmani, Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers and their tributaries. The rising Subarnarekha has added to the woes of Balasore, which is already dealing with flooding caused by the Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers.

With rain continuing in northern Odisha, the state administration has intensified rescue and relief operations, a statement issued by the Disaster Management Department said.

Though water levels in some rivers have started receding, they remain close to danger marks, it said.

A total of 95,206 people have been moved to 226 relief camps, where arrangements have been made for cooked food, safe drinking water, sanitation, lighting and medical care, Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.

Special arrangements have also been made for children, pregnant women, elderly people and persons with disabilities, he said.

Free kitchens are operating in affected areas, while dry food and other essential relief materials are being supplied as required, he added.

Pujari said the situation is being closely monitored in coordination with the respective District Emergency Operation Centres (DEOCs), with Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Keonjhar under close watch.

The state government has deployed 118 response teams across the affected areas for rescue, relief and emergency operations, he said.

More response teams have been kept on standby and will be deployed as required, he said.

The minister said water levels of all rivers were being continuously monitored and precautionary measures were being taken at vulnerable locations.

In Balasore, the Subarnarekha crossed the danger mark of 10.36 metres at Rajghat in Jaleswar. Its water level stood at 10.48 metres at noon and was expected to rise to 10.60 metres by 10 pm, officials said.

As many as 331 villages in 80 gram panchayats of Jaleswar and Baliapal blocks are being closely monitored as they could be affected by the rising river, they said.

Meanwhile, the IMD said in its evening bulletin that the low-pressure area over southeast Jharkhand and adjoining areas had become less marked.

However, a fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the north Bay of Bengal during the next 48 hours, it said.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts and the north Bay of Bengal during the period.

In Keonjhar, a landslide triggered by heavy rain disrupted vehicular movement on National Highway-49 at Kanjipani Ghat, officials said.

Soil, rocks and uprooted trees slid down the hillside and blocked the highway, NHAI officials said.

"The landslide has been occurring over the last two days. We cleared the road last evening. However, the landslide occurred again at around 11 pm last night due to heavy rain," NHAI Maintenance Manager Pradeep Kumar Ransingh said.