135 people rescued in flood-hit Malkangiri in Odisha

Malkangiri: Around 135 people were rescued from different areas of the flood-affected Malkangiri district in Odisha on Monday and moved to relief camps, an official said.

After visiting the affected areas, Collector Sachin Pawar said the flood situation in the district has improved and vehicular movement on the Pangam and Potteru bridges has started after the water receded.

However, flood water was flowing over the Kangurukonda bridge due to which the connectivity between Malkangiri and Kalimela has been affected, he said.

As the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh is in spate, there is a possibility of flood in the Mottu area, he said, adding that water from the Polavaram dam project was also flowing towards Mottu.

Pawar said he was in touch with the Irrigation Department of Andhra Pradesh and closely monitoring the situation in the district.

"Many roads and bridges in the district have been damaged in the flood. While 95 houses have been damaged, the extent of the cropland affected due to the flood will be known after the water recedes," he said.

"To deal with the situation, 24-hour control rooms have been set up in seven blocks of the district and officers have been deployed in the affected areas," the collector said.