At least three individuals, including a member of the fire service, have tragically lost their lives as a result of flooding in Odisha, which has also affected over 200,000 people across 748 villages in six districts following recent heavy rainfall.
Officials report that Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur in northern Odisha have been particularly hard-hit, with Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, and Sambalpur also experiencing significant impacts. Over 30,000 residents have been evacuated from low-lying regions within these areas.
According to Suresh Pujari, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, the fatalities occurred in Keonjhar district. One fire service worker died from electrocution, an elderly individual perished due to a wall collapse, and a child was swept away by the floodwaters.
“We have requested a report from the district collector regarding the casualties. Given that the deaths occurred in the chief minister’s home district, we have also informed him of the situation,” Pujari stated during a press briefing following a review meeting.
While the situation remains dire in Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur, officials have not reported any additional human or animal fatalities there. Major rivers, including the Baitarani, Salandi, and Jalaka, are currently overflowing, surpassing danger levels in several locations.
As a result of the flooding, 226 villages in the affected districts are submerged and isolated, prompting authorities to evacuate residents to safer areas.
“We are ensuring special attention is given to the elderly, women, and children at the flood relief centers. The administration is on high alert. Floodwaters have also resulted in damage to 761 homes and have submerged nearly 8,000 hectares of farmland,” Pujari added.
More than 60 teams from the NDRF, ODRAF, and fire services have been deployed to assist in the affected districts, and three senior IAS officers have been assigned to help the district administration in Balasore, Bhadrak, and Jajpur.
Additionally, the leave of government employees in the affected areas has been cancelled. The chief minister, currently in New Delhi, is also monitoring the situation.
Pujari further noted that other districts, including Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Malkangiri, have also been impacted by the heavy rains, resulting in school and anganwadi center closures in ten districts.
In the meantime, moderate flooding is anticipated in the Mahanadi river system due to significant inflows from upstream. This could potentially affect the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, and Cuttack.
“As of Wednesday afternoon, the water level at the Hirakud reservoir was recorded at 616 feet, against its full capacity of 630 feet,” stated Dilip Rout, the engineer-in-chief of the Water Resources Department. He added that approximately 9 lakh cusecs of water is expected to be released at Mundali in Cuttack district by Thursday evening, likely resulting in a medium-range flood.
