Monsoon fury: Nearly 5 lakh affected as rains inundate Odisha
Nearly five lakh people have been affected in 10 districts of Odisha as rain induced floods have inundated the state. As per Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena, 4.67 lakh people were affected in 1,757 villages, of which 2.5 lakh people in 425 villages are marooned. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik directed officers to ensure "zero casualty" in the flood.
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With monsoon lashing several parts of India, Indian Meterological Department (IMD) and respective district administrations had sounded high alert, especially yellow warning for the 10 north coastal districts of Odisha. Heavy rainfall and dam water being released into rivers have resulted in flooding in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana over the past few weeks.
Number of affected people more than doubled overnight
Until Tuesday flooding in Mahanadi river system had affected around two lakh people and over 26,000 hectares of farmland. But the numbers shot up more than twice after midnight when flood water hit its peak in the delta region. CM Patnaik reviewed the situation on Tuesday, when 12 Cusec of flood water was flowing through Mundali barrage. Since then, it has only grown worse.
Rescue operations carried out in Khorda district
60,000 people rescued
Around 60,000 people were rescued to safer places till Wednesday, Jena said. Nine teams of NDRF and ODRAF have been deployed for evacuation in vulnerable places along with 44 teams of fire department. The government directed all schools and educational institutions be closed in affected areas. Around 90 free kitchens are being run to provide relief to nearly 27,000 people.
40 flood gates of Hirakud Dam discharging water
In Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Cuttack, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Puri districts, the flood water was flowing over bridges and had entered villages. Water Resources Department, Engineer in Chief, BK Mishra said that 40 gates of Hirakud Dam were discharging flood water. Till Tuesday night, the water level was guaged at 626.87 feet as compared to its total depth of 630 feet.
Bracing for further impact
IMD has forecast new low pressure system over northern Bay of Bengal by Friday which could bring in heavy rainfall. Jena said the next 48 to 72 hours were critical for the state. The administration is preparing for the next spree expected from Thursday. Operations were launched to rescue around 600 school kids stranded at a residential institution at Gatiroutpatna in Cuttack district.
Floods, heavy rains in several states
While many states remain inundated, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and northeastern states are facing subdued rainfall activity. The low-lying areas of Naramadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh, Palghar district of Maharashtra and Surat in Gujarat are facing flood-like situation. Flash floods hit Himachal Pradesh. Rajasthan received unprecedented rainfall, its highest in 70 years. Its 33 districts witnessed 'abnormal' rainfall while 17 districts received 'excess'.
