1 week ago
Odisha Floods Affect More Than One Lakh People
Floodwater was still affecting more than one lakh people in Odisha.
Bhadrak and Jajpur districts had some of the largest numbers of affected residents.
More than 5,000 people in Kendrapada were also still under floodwater.
Rain caused problems in parts of Keonjhar, Nabarangpur and Koraput.
Officials moved people from Nabarangpur and Koraput into relief camps for safety.
Seventy-nine rescue teams were helping with rescues and relief work.
The main rivers were below their danger levels, so officials expected conditions to improve.
However, some villages were still surrounded by water because it had not receded.
Water in the Mahanadi was expected to rise slightly after releases from Hirakud dam.
More than one lakh people remained affected across six Odisha districts on August 25.
Bhadrak had 75,432 affected residents, while more than 21,000 were impacted in Jajpur.
More than 5,000 people in Kendrapada remained under flood, while recent rain affected Keonjhar, Nabarangpur and Koraput.
Authorities evacuated 1,622 people in Nabarangpur and 660 in Koraput to relief camps.
Seventy-nine rescue teams were deployed as officials forecast improvement despite persistent water in villages.
- Who
- More than one lakh residents across six Odisha districts, along with local administrations, rescue teams and state officials.
- What
- Flooding and waterlogging continued to affect villages and displaced residents despite falling levels in major rivers.
- Where
- The affected districts were Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur and Koraput in Odisha.
- When
- The situation was reported on Tuesday, August 25; the Mahanadi was expected to rise on Wednesday.
- Why
- Heavy rainfall over three days caused flooding, while water remained in villages even after river levels fell.
Flood Impact
Official Outlook
Current conditions
Flood Impact
More than one lakh people remained affected, and several villages were still marooned because floodwater had not receded.
Official Outlook
Officials said all major rivers were below danger or warning levels and expected the situation to improve.
Mahanadi water rise
Flood Impact
A rise in Mahanadi flow and continuing water in low-lying areas required authorities to remain alert.
Official Outlook
The water flow at Mundali was expected to rise only marginally, and officials said it was unlikely to create a major flood-like situation.
Key facts
- Affected population
- More than one lakh people remained affected across six districts.
- Bhadrak impact
- 75,432 people in 70 villages across 18 gram panchayats remained affected.
- Jajpur impact
- More than 21,000 people in 41 villages were affected.
- Rescue deployment
- Seventy-nine teams were deployed: 28 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams, one National Disaster Response Force team and 50 fire services teams.
- Evacuations
- Authorities evacuated 1,622 people in Nabarangpur and 660 in Koraput to relief camps.
- Rainfall
- Odisha received 1,100.6 millimetres of rainfall from June 1 to August 25, 32.4% above normal.
- Mahanadi forecast
- Flow at Mundali was expected to increase from 600,000 to 670,000 cusecs, a rise officials said did not pose a major flood risk.
Quotes
Dillip Kumar Rout
Engineer-in-chief of Odisha’s Water Resources Department
“The flood water is expected to persist for 8–10 hours before receding. As about 6.77 lakh cusec water flowed on the river in the recent past without causing any flood, we expect that no flood-like situation will arise this time too.”
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