Download the all-new Republic app:

Published 22:17 IST, October 14th 2020

Intensity of rain reduces in Odisha; govt rules out flood threat

The Odisha government on Wednesday ruled out the threat of any major flood in the state as the intensity of rain which lashed several districts for the past two days has subsided.

Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
null | Image: self
Advertisement

The Odisha government on Wednesday ruled out the threat of any major flood in the state as the intensity of rain which lashed several districts for the past two days has subsided.

A deep depression formed over the Bay of Bengal crossed the coast in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, and under its influence, several parts of Odisha, particularly southern districts like Ganjam and Gajapati, witnessed downpour since Monday night, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said.

Advertisement

Engineers and officials of the water resources department, who were fully prepared in advance to deal with the situation, operated the reservoirs in the region efficiently to control the flow of water, he said. As per the assessment of the engineers of the department, there is no fear of any major flood because of the downpour, while the intensity of rain has decreased, Jena said.

The water-level of the Rushikulya river has risen at Purushottampur following incessant rain, but it is unlikely to cross the danger-mark. The water level of Vamsadhara river is falling, and 21 gates of Gotta barrage have been opened to manage the flow of water, Jena said, adding that the overall situation is well under control and there is no serious problem.

Advertisement

The situation in Aska and Hinjli areas of Ganjam district, which faced severe water-logging during heavy rainfall, is also fully under control, the official said. However, the Meteorological Centre here later forecast heavy rain in some places of Dhenkanal, Angul, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts till Thursday.

Due to the downpour in the last few days, normal life was severely hit in several parts of Gajapati and Ganjam districts.

Advertisement

Road communication got disrupted for quite some time in several areas in Mohana block of Gajapati and Patrapur and Sorada blocks in Ganjam district, officials said.

In Ganjam, incessant rainfall caused landslides in two places in a hilly area in Ankuli panchayat, while water- logging was reported in some areas. Communication has been restored after workers of the rural development and works department cleared the road, a senior official said.

Advertisement

Jena said that three blocks of Ganjam districts recorded over 300 mm rainfall in the past 48 hours till 9 am on Wednesday, while it was more than 100 mm in 16 blocks.

Seven blocks of Gajapati district recorded more than 150 mm rainfall.

In Koraput district, Narayanpatna recorded 126.8 mm rainfall, while Daspalla in Nayagarh received 105 mm rainfall, Jena said. 

(IMAGE CREDITS:PTI)

22:17 IST, October 14th 2020