Odisha faces flood-like situation in 3 districts; Evacuations underway

A flood-like situation has emerged in three districts of Odisha – Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur – as water from swollen rivers inundated low-lying areas on Sunday. The state government has commenced evacuation efforts, moving affected residents to safer locations, while closely monitoring the situation with a 24x7 state flood cell. Major rivers including Baitarani, Jalaka, and Subarnarekha are flowing at or above their danger levels, prompting a heightened state of alert across the northern regions of the state.

Specifically, the Baitarani River crossed its danger level of 18.33 metres, reaching 19.09 metres at 2 AM on Sunday, causing inundation in parts of Bhadrak, particularly the Dhamnagar area, and Jajpur district. While the water level later showed a declining trend, it remained above the danger mark at 18.54 metres. Similarly, the Jalaka River at Mathani was flowing at 6.67 metres against its danger level of 6.50 metres, leading to floodwaters entering eight panchayats in Basta block and two in Sadar block, displacing over 320 residents. Rescue teams provided cooked meals to approximately 260 people and rescued 22 individuals and 15 animals in Basta block. The Subarnarekha River, though slightly below its danger mark at 10.2 metres at Rajghat, is expected to rise to 11.4 metres by Sunday night, threatening Bhogari, Baliapal, Basta, and Jaleswar blocks in Balasore, where evacuations are already underway.

In response, the Odisha government has alerted the collectors of Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore to expedite relief and evacuation operations. Two chief engineer-rank officers have been deputed to the Subarnarekha and Baitarani river basins for ground monitoring, and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj has inspected embankment sites in Bhadrak. While a breach in the Jambhira River embankment in Mayurbhanj was promptly sealed, and a landslide on NH-520 in Sundargarh was cleared, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Chandra Sekhar Padhi, has indicated that a major flood situation statewide is unlikely due to reduced rainfall over the past 24 hours.