Patnaik sends 3 officers to assess flood situation

As the flood situation in North Odisha improves, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today deputed three senior officers to separate districts and asked them to report him on the prevailing scenario.
Development commissioner and additional chief secretary R Balakrishnan has been deputed to visit Jajpur district and additional chief secretary forest and environment S C Mohapatra has been told to oversee the situation in Bhadrak district.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Asit Kumar Tripathy has been sent to Rayagada district, a communication received from the chief minister's office said here.
They will visit the three flood affected districts tomorrow and submit reports on their return.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary A P Padhi directed administration of flood hit districts of southern Odisha to submit preliminary damage assessment indicating areas affected, damage to public and private properties, relief and restoration measures undertaken and total loss.
Padhi said this in a video conferencing with the district collectors Rayagada, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.

Sources in the special relief commissioner's office said north Odisha districts are likely to escape a major flood as the water level receded in almost all rivers in the region.
IMD in its warning, however, said that heavy rainfall is likely to occur in one or two places over north Odisha during the next 48 hours.

Special relief commissioner B P Sethi said, water levels in rivers are either steady or falling at all places except at Jamsolaghat on Subernarekha river.
Water levels of Baitarani, Brahmani, Burhabalang and Jalaka are falling or are steady due to less rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the rivers.
He said that some bridges have been washed away due to incessant rainfall in Keonjhar district.
Sources in SRC's office said though the flood water slumbered a large paddy field in Bhadrak and Keonjhar districts, the villages were unaffected.
Some 40 odd villages remained marooned as the roads and bridges leading to them have been washed away.

Sethi said that the district administrations of Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Jajpur are still on alert in view of the IMD's forecast of heavy rainfall in certain places of the region.