At least three people, including a fire services personnel, died and more than 5 lakh people have been affected as the flood situation worsened in In Odisha. In the wake of this development, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is currently in Delhi, directed three ministers -- Suryabanshi Suraj, Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia and K C Mohapatra -- to monitor the flood situation on the ground.
Floodwaters damage more than 1,000 houses
Earlier, three senior IAS officers were sent to north Odisha to oversee flood management and relief operations. By Wednesday evening, around 1,88,002 people had been evacuated and sheltered in 396 relief centres. Floodwaters damaged more than 1,000 houses in the worst-hit districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar, officials said.
Even as north Odisha districts continued to battle floods, fresh concerns emerged over rising water levels in the Mahanadi river system following heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
"Rains in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi have raised concerns of a moderate flood in the river basin," Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout told reporters. Rout said the water level at the Hirakud reservoir was 617.91 feet at 6 pm on Wednesday against the full reservoir level of 630 feet.
List of districts worst affected by flood waters
Six districts -- Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal -- have been severely affected by floods. Several other districts, including Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati and Malkangiri, have also witnessed flooding following heavy rainfall triggered by the deep depression.
How is Odisha govt carrying out rescue operation?
Multipurpose cyclone shelters, schools and anganwadi centres are being used to accommodate over 1.88 lakh evacuated people. Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are engaged in the rescue and safe evacuation of livestock in the state, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department said.
In Baleshwar district, rescue teams are working relentlessly to save both people and livestock from flood-affected areas. Relief centres continue to provide hygienic, cooked meals and essential care, ensuring that every evacuated family receives timely support.
On Wednesday, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari chaired a high-level review meeting, in the presence of Chief Secretary Anu Garg, to assess the flood situation in the state following incessant rainfall and rising river levels in several districts.
With inputs from ANI, PTI
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