Odisha floods worsen as Mahanadi river swells, over 7 lakh affected in 20 districts
Heavy discharge from the Hirakud Dam after heavy rain in the upper catchment has swollen the Mahanadi and inundated low-lying areas, affecting more than seven
Heavy discharge from the Hirakud Dam after heavy rain in the upper catchment has swollen the Mahanadi and inundated low-lying areas, affecting more than seven lakh people in 20 of the state's 30 districts. The rise in the river's level has also caused several tributaries to swell, worsening the flood situation. Officials said the absence of rain over the past 24 hours in the state and the upper catchment areas has brought some relief. Even so, fresh breaches in embankments have led to flooding in new areas, as authorities stepped up evacuation, rescue and relief measures. Read Full Story Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, who reviewed the flood situation, said 14 gates of the Hirakud Dam had been opened, discharging over two lakh cusec of water because of heavy inflow from the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh.
Earlier, only two gates were open. "The water will take around 36 to 40 hours to reach Mundali near Cuttack," the minister said. By Friday morning, the water level in the reservoir stood at 623.52 feet against its full storage capacity of 630 feet. The dam was receiving around 3,69,322 cusecs of water per second, while about 65,543 cusecs were being released downstream. Pujari said more than eight lakh cusecs of water at Mundali should be discharged within 36 hours to make space for the excess water being released from Hirakud. "It is a big respite that there is no rain across the state since the past 24 hours in the state and also in upper catchment areas," the minister said. Pujari said some areas in Cuttack, Puri, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur districts had been inundated and that all preparations were being made to reduce people's suffering.
He said the state was operating 520 relief centres in the northern and coastal regions, with provisions for around two lakh people, and added that around 1.90 lakh people had so far been evacuated to safety. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said the recent flood had affected over seven lakh people in 20 of the state's 30 districts. He said 136 rescue teams of the NDRF, ODRAF and fire services had been deployed in various districts. The rise in the Mahanadi's water level has caused its tributaries — the Luna, Karandia, Chitrotpala, Paika, Salia, Devi, Kandala, Kuakhai, Kushabhadra, Daya and Bhargavi — to swell, he said, adding that three people had died in flood-related incidents. Officials said the leave of all government employees in the affected 20 districts had been cancelled and public access to barrages and embankments had been restricted.
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