Flood Threat in Odisha’s Subarnarekha River System, Death Toll Rises to 6

Bhubaneswar: Even as the flood situation in Odisha’s Mahanadi river system has not fully abated, a fresh flood threat has now cropped up in the Subarnarekha river system affecting people in the state’s Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts.

The Subarnarekha river is in spate due to the release of around 6 lakh cusecs of water from Galudih barrage by Jharkhand through 16 gates following heavy rainfall, said Odisha Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Jena here on Sunday.

The Subarnarekha is flowing 4 metres above the danger mark at Jamsholaghat. Against the danger level of 49.15 metres, the river is flowing at 53.50 metres at Jamsholaghat and is rising.

At Rajghat, the river is flowing at 10.41 metres against the danger level of 10.36 metres and is on a rising trend.

High flood is expected in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts, and its impact would be felt in Baliapal, Bhograi, Jaleswar and Basta areas of Balasore, and parts of Mayurbhanj, he said.

Jena said the Budhabalanga is on a declining trend and hoped that it would not be a cause of concern. Similarly, Baitarani river is flowing at 19.02 metres at Akhuapada – over a metre above the danger level. However, the river has started falling at Anandpur.

The state government has delegated power of SRC to the Balasore District Collector and also placed a helicopter with the district administration for dealing with any emergency caused due to high flood.

About 40 additional operational teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and fire services have been sent to Balasore and Mayurbhanj for relief and rescue operations.

“The impact of the flood will be more severe compared to the flood in 2008. There is a possibility of the situation getting worse, so we need to remain alert,” the SRC said

The district administrations are evacuating people involving all PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions), women SHGs and other grassroot level workers in a “zero casualty” approach, he added.

Jena said, meanwhile the situation in the Mahanadi River system has improved and it will further improve in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the death toll in rain and flood-related incidents rose to six, with rescue teams recovering bodies of at least two persons in the Kuchinda area of Sambalpur district, he added.

As per reports, the bodies of a man and his brother-in-law were fished out of water on Sunday, more than 12 hours after they were washed away while crossing a flooded road in Sambalpur district in a car. The car with the bodies was found on Sunday morning, a few metres away from the road.

IANS