Daijiworld Media Network - Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, Jul 31: Odisha remained on high alert on Thursday as authorities braced for a medium flood in the Mahanadi river system, with around 9 lakh cusec of water flowing through Mundali near Cuttack, officials said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the rising water level could trigger flooding in the coastal districts of Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara.
"There are reports of floodwaters entering the Athagarh and Badamba areas of Cuttack. The district collector has been directed to begin evacuation and deploy rescue teams," he said.
Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said the next 36 hours would be crucial as the Mahanadi was expected to witness peak flood discharge. He noted that a flow exceeding 8 lakh cusec is classified as a medium flood in the river system.
Three people have lost their lives in flood-related incidents so far, the minister said.
Officials have deployed personnel at vulnerable locations to protect embankments along the Mahanadi and its tributaries in Khurda, Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
Rout said the Mundali barrage had previously handled discharges of 10 to 12 lakh cusec and expressed confidence in the system, while stressing that preventing embankment breaches and avoiding casualties remained the administration's top priorities.
With the discharge at Mundali expected to cross 9 lakh cusec, floodwaters are likely to spread across several tributaries, including the Luna, Karandia, Chitrotpala, Paika, Salia, Devi, Kandala, Kuakhai, Kushabhadra, Daya and Bhargavi rivers.
The flood situation has worsened due to additional inflows from the Tel, Ib and Jira rivers, officials said.
The water level at the Hirakud Dam has crossed 620 feet against its full reservoir level of 630 feet. At present, water is being released downstream through two gates, and additional gates may be opened if inflows continue to increase.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Pati has placed district collectors in the Mahanadi delta region on high alert and cancelled the leave of government employees in the affected areas.
Pujari said the recent floods have affected more than seven lakh people across 20 of Odisha's 30 districts. Around 1.90 lakh people have been evacuated and accommodated in 520 relief camps.
According to the minister, 21 villages in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts remain marooned, while 1,352 houses have been damaged.
The state government has directed officials to submit detailed damage assessment reports.
A total of 123 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and the Fire Services have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, currently in New Delhi, said he had instructed all district collectors to remain on high alert and ensure timely assistance to affected people.
"I appeal to everyone not to panic over the flood situation. The safety and security of citizens is the state government's highest priority," he said.