Bhubaneswar: Heavy rains resulting from a low-pressure system in North Odisha have caused major rivers, including the Baitarani, Salandi, Kani, and parts of the Mahanadi system, to overflow, inundating villages, agricultural land, and roads across several districts. This situation has compelled officials to open additional gates at the Hirakud Dam.
In Bhadrak district, persistent rainfall in the upper catchment areas has caused the Baitarani River to approach its danger level at Akhuapada, currently measuring around 18 meters against a threshold of 18.33 meters. Similarly, the Salandi River is nearing its warning mark of 17 feet at Rajghat, with recent measurements showing it at approximately 16.10 feet. The flooding has been exacerbated by breaches in embankments, including a significant 200-foot gap at Baro Dihia in Tihidi block and another major breach near Lanjatara in Bilana panchayat. Floodwaters from the Salandi and Nalia rivers have submerged numerous villages across Tihidi, Bhadrak, Dhamnagar, Chandbali, and Bhandaripokhari blocks, impacting thousands of hectares of farmland and invading residential areas.
Residents of low-lying regions in Basudevpur, including the panchayats of Ratanga, Barandua, and Sudarshanpur, reported that homes were filled with water up to chest height during what some are calling the third flooding event this season, occurring before the previous waters had fully receded. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow warnings for heavy rainfall in Bhadrak and a broader advisory for several districts, anticipating ongoing showers.
In the adjacent Jajpur district, a person named Maheswar Sutar was swept away by floodwaters after a riverbank collapsed near Dhobil village in Dasarathapur block, along the overflowing Kani River, which is a tributary of the Baitarani. Search and rescue operations are currently underway. Previously repaired embankment breaches have reopened or expanded, with one significantly widening, displacing over 30 families who are now seeking refuge on higher embankments. A local resident lamented, “We had barely finished cleaning our homes after the first wave when the water entered again. With no option left, we are taking shelter on the embankment.”
Officials from the local administration, including the Block Development Officer (BDO), have assured that relief efforts are being organized, with cooked meals and dry rations being sent to the affected regions.
Farther west, severe rainfall has also damaged an embankment at Solghara in Sambalpur.
The overall flood situation in the state has worsened due to heavy rain in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi. At the Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur, four additional sluice gates have been opened, raising the total to 12 to manage the increasingly high reservoir levels, which are approaching the maximum capacity of 630 feet. Excess water is being released downstream, and officials have warned residents in low-lying areas along the Mahanadi to stay alert.
The IMD has forecasted heavy rainfall for several northern and western districts, including Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Baragada, and Sambalpur, over the next six days. District administrations in affected areas, such as Bhadrak and Jajpur, are actively monitoring embankments, keeping relief and rescue teams ready, and providing assistance to displaced families. However, teams from the Water Resources Department are encountering difficulties in repairing breaches due to strong currents.
Residents in vulnerable low-lying areas have been advised to remain vigilant and relocate to safer locations if necessary as weather conditions evolve.
