Flood situation in Odisha's Balasore grim, several villages marooned

Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha's Balasore district continued to remain grim on Thursday as Subarnarekha River flowed above the danger level and many villages remained marooned, officials said.

The water level in Subarnarekha, which has been flowing above the danger level for the last three days after depression-induced heavy rainfall, is, however, on a receding trend, an official in the Water Resources Department said.

The present water level at Rajghat was at 10.58 metres against the danger level of 10.36 metres.

Water Resources Department chief engineer Chandrasekhar Padhi said drainage of water from flood-affected villages has increased.

"We hope water will recede from the villages in the next 24 hours," Padhi said.

Jalaka River was also flowing close to the danger mark but water level was in a falling trend, the official said.

Meanwhile, the Balasore district administration has so far evacuated 21,076 people to safer places and provided them with shelter.

Many villages have been marooned for the last three days, with boats being the only mode of communication, another official said.

Around 35,654 people from 141 villages in five blocks of Baliapal, Basta, Bhograi, Jaleswar and Balasore Sadar have been affected by the floods.

"The evacuated people were being fed at 51 relief centres across Balasore district," an official at Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) office said.

The official said that 21 rescue teams, including six from ODRAF, one from NDRF and 14 from fire services, have been deployed in the five blocks for rescue and relief operations.

Similarly, neighbouring Mayurbhanj district has also been affected by the floodwaters of Subarnarekha, with 101 villages getting inundated.

The district administration has evacuated 1,603 people living in the low-lying areas and housed them in four flood shelters, where cooked food is being served to the affected persons, officials said.

As many as 15 rescue teams, including three from ODRAF and 12 from fire services, have been deployed in Mayurbhanj district.

Similarly, some portions of Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Sundergarh districts have also been flooded, the SRC said in a report, adding that a total of 39,002 people have been directly affected in the ongoing flood while 499 houses have been damaged in the calamity.