Flood-hit Odisha to get more rain; CM urges people not to panic

The Odisha government, which is trying hard to tackle the flood in the Mahanadi river system, on Friday said its focus is now on several other rivers in the northern part of the state as the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall there.

The authorities have started taking measures as the heavy rainfall may worsen the flood situation. An official said that a population of five lakh people in 13 districts are affected by the current deluge on Friday, while 2.6 lakh of them are marooned in 470 villages.

“As per the IMD forecast, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the (northern) districts of Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Bhadrak from tonight. I humbly request you all not to get panicked over it and abide by the instructions of the administration,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said. Keeping in view the IMD’s forecast of heavy rainfall, the focus is now on rivers like Baitarani, Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Salandi and Brahmani, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena told reporters here.

The Mahanadi river has already witnessed peak flood this week and the water level is gradually receding though it still remains above the danger level, Jena said.

“We have analysed the IMD forecast and took measures accordingly. The authorities of the northern Odisha districts along with Bhadrak have been put on alert while the collectors of Mahanadi delta region are also on guard for the eventualities to be created due to the deep depression,” he said.

The rivers originating from these districts may trigger fresh floods due to deep depression-induced rains, he said.

The water level in the Hirakud reservoir is also regulated accordingly to create space for additional flood water.

Balasore district Collector Dattatreya Bhaosaheb Sindhe has directed officials not to allow tourists in places like Chandipur, Talasari, Kasafala, Dagara and Panchlingeswar on Friday and Saturday.

The administration has evacuated 3,000 people living in low-lying areas in Balasore town.

The Bhadrak district administration ordered closure of all schools and Anganwadi centres in view of the heavy rainfall forecast.

Apart from heavy rain, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also forecast squally wind with speed reaching 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph is likely to prevail over North Bay of Bengal and along and off Odisha coast till Friday midnight because of the formation of a deep depression.

The wind speed will then gradually decrease to 45-55 kmph gusting 65 kmph by Saturday morning and it will decline further by the evening, the IMD said.

The IMD, however, rejected speculations of the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensifying into a cyclone.

The state government said that there has been no new breach in the Mahanadi river system embankments since Thursday, but villages are still inundated. Things will improve once water flow at Mundali barrage near Cuttack falls below 9 lakh cusec (cubic feet per second), Water Resources chief engineer BK Mishra said.

The water level at Mundali barrage stands at 9.33 lakh cusec at 6 pm, he said.

The IMD has asked all fishermen to return to shore as sea conditions are likely to remain rough during the deep depression.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)