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Odisha floods worsen as heavy rain inundates villages, roads in north
Heavy rain has worsened flooding across northern Odisha, with rivers swelling, villages inundated and roads disrupted as the IMD warns of more rain.
Flooding in several northern Odisha districts threatened to worsen on Friday as heavy rain pushed up river levels, inundated villages and farmland, disrupted road links and forced residents to take shelter on rooftops and embankments.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) warned of a flash-flood risk in 11 districts, while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy rain in parts of northern Odisha through August 17 and in western districts until August 15. Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and several other districts have been affected by the latest spell of rain.
In Mayurbhanj, flooding in the Budhabalanga river submerged several areas of Betanati block, affecting 16 gram panchayats and inundating farmland, roads and villages.
Near the Nakhara bridge, about three feet of floodwater was flowing over the old and vulnerable structure, bringing traffic on the busy Baishinga-Manatri-Udala road to a halt. Vehicles were stranded on both sides of the flooded stretch.
The situation was also critical in Jajpur district, where the fourth flood of the season in the Baitarani river has inundated villages in Dasarathpur block.
The flooding has compounded the woes of hundreds of families who have faced repeated inundation for nearly a month. The first flood occurred on July 6 after the Kani river breached at Kantapada. During the second flood on July 28, two breaches occurred at Dovabil Patana and another in the Baitarani ring embankment near Jayantara Mahapatra Sahi. A third flood on August 8 caused repaired breaches to give way again. Some families have still not returned home and are living on rooftops or under makeshift tarpaulin shelters near the river embankment.
In Keonjhar, heavy rainfall disrupted road communication in Telkoi block, with floodwater flowing over bridges and roads at several locations. The Telkoi-Jagamohanpur road was cut off after water from the Hanumantia canal rose to about three feet over the road near the Kenduleaf Office, disrupting connectivity between Telkoi and Jagamohanpur and access to National Highway 49.
The latest rainfall has also affected other parts of northern Odisha. Five blocks of Balasore district were affected by heavy rain, while parts of Baripada town in Mayurbhanj were flooded as the Budhabalanga rose, with water entering wards 7 and 8. Torrential rain also flooded roads in Shamakhunta block, prompting the district administration to begin evacuation operations.
Almost the entire Rourkela city experienced severe waterlogging, with Civil Township, Basanti Colony, Chhend Colony, Railway Colony and Power House among the worst affected. The city received 105.4 mm of rain between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The IMD Bhubaneswar, meanwhile, warned of a flash-flood risk in Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Sonepur and Sundargarh as a well-marked low-pressure area over coastal West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh and the northwest Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards and intensified into a depression.
“It is very likely to move northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand during next 24 hours. Under its influence, heavy rainfall will occur in part of North Odisha till August 17 and a few districts of Western Odisha till August 15,” said Manorama Mohanty, director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
The IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh and Sambalpur on Friday, with heavy rain also expected in Balasore, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada and Balangir. Further heavy rainfall was forecast in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada and Balangir on Saturday.
