Odisha rain kills 2-year old, sparks flood fears
Live Events as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You
Live Events as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur/Baripada (Odisha): A two-year-old girl died and several others were affected as depression-induced rainfall lashed Odisha, with flood fears looming large in the Baitarani River, officials said on Monday.The girl, identified as Chandini Munda, died due to a wall collapse in Thakurmunda area in Mayurbhanj district on Sunday night."The girl was sleeping in a dilapidated house along with her mother. Though two others escaped, the little girl died," Thakurmunda police station inspector-in-charge Tushar Ranjan Nayak said.A 45-year-old man, identified as Suresh Maharana, went missing after being swept away by a sudden surge of water in a drainage channel at Bagdihipada on the outskirts of Sambalpur on Sunday night."Two persons were attempting to cross the drainage channel on a motorcycle when rainwater gushed through the channel with great force. One man was rescued and another is missing," Sambalpur district Collector Siddheshwar Baliram Bondar said.He said several people in Sambalpur town were evacuated and kept in safe shelter as rainwater entered their houses due to heavy downpour.
Free kitchen was run for about 270 affected people in the district.Similar incidents of water-logging have been reported from almost all the urban pockets, including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, a Revenue Department official said, adding that incessant rainfall affected normal life both in urban and rural areas, with roads remaining submerged disrupting vehicular movement.Many urban bodies have been using pumps to flush out rainwater from the low-lying areas, the official said.Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in the upper and middle catchment of the Baitarani River has increased the possibility of minor flooding in low-lying areas of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts.Water Resources Department engineer-in-chief Dillip Kumar Rout, said the river is expected to cross the danger level and the areas downstream have been put on alert.According to the Water Resources Department, some blocks in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts may experience minor to moderate flooding in the next 24 hours.The Baitarani basin has received 73 mm of rainfall. While Odisha recorded a 47 per cent rainfall deficit in June, it already received 327.3 mm of rainfall against the normal average of 271.6 mm in July.Odisha's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said, "Though water levels in all rivers have increased, none have so far crossed the danger mark.
The BriefWire