Odisha floods: More than 1.4 lakh people affected so far, death toll rises to 6
Villages in Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh and Sonepur have been waterlogged due to floods in Mahanadi and its tributaries, and more low-lying villages in Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur are likely to be affected
More than 1.4 lakh people in over 800 villages across Odisha have been affected due to floods in the Mahanadi and other rivers such as Baitarani and Brahmani as of Friday morning, officials said.
Though the water flow in Mahanadi at Mundali barrage has come down from 9.2 lakh cusecs on Thursday night to around 8.6 lakh cusecs, it breached at several places downstream, marooning hundreds of villages.
“The water level will rise in Mahanadi as the Hirakud dam will open more gates today. The flood situation is under control,” Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty, engineer in chief of water resources, said.
The death toll due to the floods rose to six after a 67-year-old woman from Bhadrak district was swept away. Her body was recovered on Friday.
Officials said that villages in Cuttack, Nayagarh, Boudh and Sonepur have been waterlogged due to floods in Mahanadi and its tributaries, and more low-lying villages in Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur are likely to be affected.
Hundreds of acres of paddy fields in 9 gram panchayats of Banki and Tigiria blocks have been submerged in the floodwater. Brahmani and Baitarani rivers breached the danger marks at many places in Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Bhadrak districts.
In Bhadrak district, the road connecting Bhadrak town to the holy place of Akhandalamani temple in Aradi was submerged under floodwaters.
At least 106 rescue teams, including ODRAF and NDRF personnel, have been deployed.