A major flood in Mahanadi River system is likely to inundate vast stretches of area in several coastal districts of Odisha with 12 lakh cusecs of floodwater expected to pass Mundali in Cuttack by Wednesday evening.
With flood situation worsening with every passing hour, collectors of 13 districts were asked to remain on high alert. According to government sources, eight persons were killed in heavy rain and subsequent flood.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday took stock of the situation through video conferencing with collectors of 13 districts. Mahanadi flood is likely to affect Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Boudh and Cuttack districts in a big way.
Incessant rain under the influence of depression in upper catchment of Mahanadi River especially in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand has made the matters worse for flood managers in Odisha.
Contribution of flood water from Tel River to Mahanadi also made it difficult for speedier discharge of water into sea. Over seven lakh cusecs water from Tel River was entering Mahanadi River system.
Special Relief Commissioner P. K. Mohapatra said the State had managed the situation when 14 lakh cusecs of water had passed through Mundali guage station during 2011 and people should not panic.
Meanwhile, low-lying areas already started receiving floodwater from Mahanadi. Banki in Cuttack district seems to be worst affected. Major roads connecting to Banki with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar were cut off. Flood in Mahanadi had already affected Sambalpur and Subarnapur districts.
At present, the State is struggling to cope with flood triggered by overflowing Baitarani river in Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts. Large areas have been cut-off from rest of the world as swirling floodwater marooned them. Country boats and rescue boats deployed by Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, National Disaster Response Force and Fire service are only means of connection to mainland.
Three blocks – Korei, Jajpur and Dasarathpur – of Jajpur district were badly affected. While 1.52 lakh people were hit by flood, thousands of people had been evacuated from their villages.
