Incessant rains may have subsided in the state but the rising water level in the Mahanadi river system has put the state government on toes.
“We are apprehending a high flood in the Mahanadi system due to rising water levels. About 10.68 lakh cusecs of water was flowing at Khairamal in Bolangir district at 3 PM today. Going by this calculation about 12 lakh cusec of water will flow through Mahanadi at Mundali in Cuttack district by tomorrow afternoon and the flood water will pass through the coastal delta area on Thursday. Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kendrapada, Jagatsingpur and Puri districts will be affected and steps are being taken to evacuate people from the low lying area,” said Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, special relief commissioner.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, through video conferencing, has directed the collectors of these districts to keep a strict vigil on the situation.
Meanwhile, the situation in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts continues to be grim.
Many areas in Banki, Tigiria blocks in Cuttack district and many villages in Angul district have been inundated due to the swollen Mahanadi and the situation is even worse in Keonjhar due to rising water level in Baitarani river.
Patnaik has directed the collectors of flood affected 13 districts to cancel the leaves of all government employees and allot additional charge to the block development officers (BDO) of the nearby block in the absence of the concerned BDOs.
“We are apprehending a high flood in the Mahanadi system due to rising water levels. About 10.68 lakh cusecs of water was flowing at Khairamal in Bolangir district at 3 PM today. Going by this calculation about 12 lakh cusec of water will flow through Mahanadi at Mundali in Cuttack district by tomorrow afternoon and the flood water will pass through the coastal delta area on Thursday. Cuttack, Nayagarh, Kendrapada, Jagatsingpur and Puri districts will be affected and steps are being taken to evacuate people from the low lying area,” said Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, special relief commissioner.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, through video conferencing, has directed the collectors of these districts to keep a strict vigil on the situation.
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Collectors have also been asked to deploy Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams for evacuation, ensure pre-positioning of fodders, arrange free kitchens and provisioning for supply of drinking water, keep adequate stocks of medicines and deploy medical and veterinary teams in the vulnerable areas. At present, Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi river is releasing water through 17 gates. Water resources department has been asked to keep a close watch on the river embankments and keep adequate quantity of sand bags ready to meet the exigency.
Meanwhile, the situation in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts continues to be grim.
Many areas in Banki, Tigiria blocks in Cuttack district and many villages in Angul district have been inundated due to the swollen Mahanadi and the situation is even worse in Keonjhar due to rising water level in Baitarani river.
Patnaik has directed the collectors of flood affected 13 districts to cancel the leaves of all government employees and allot additional charge to the block development officers (BDO) of the nearby block in the absence of the concerned BDOs.