Odisha floods: Over 250,000 people across 10 districts affected
Eighteen teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, National Disaster Response Force and 44 of fire personnel have been deployed for rescue operations
Floods have affected over 250,000 people in at least 1,400 villages across Odisha’s 10 districts as heavy rainfall in the upper and lower catchment areas of the Mahanadi swelled the river and led to breaches in embankments, a top official said.
Special relief commissioner P K Jena said around 24,000 hectares of farmland has been marooned. “Out of the 64 sluice gates of the Hirakud Dam, 40 have been opened...The peak flood has passed and we are keeping a close watch on the developing situation. We have stationed 18 teams of ODRAF [Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force] and NDRF [National Disaster Response Force] and 44 teams of fire personnel for rescue operations,” said Jena.
Over 700 boarders were rescued after their school in the Cuttack district was marooned. Officials said the floodwaters entered villages, agricultural fields and were flowing over bridges in Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Cuttack, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Puri districts.
The floods disrupted traffic on the Khordha-Bolangir highway at Baghamari. Vehicular movement between Rayagada and Koraput was hit after a bridge between Bangalaguda and Lendiri Maliguda collapsed.
Officials said the flood situation in the state may worsen by the weekend with a low pressure forming over north-west Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast on August 19 and is expected to cause heavy rain in the state. They added schools in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Nayagarh districts will remain shut on Wednesday and Thursday.
The leaves of all the government officials in Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Nayagarh, Khurda, Angul, Boudh, Sonepur and Sambalpur districts have been cancelled for next seven days.