Orissa floods: 2,600 villages submerged, 11 lakh affected

Bhubaneswar, Sept 11 (PTI) Flood's fury in Mahanadi and
other rivers has wreaked havoc in eastern Indian state Orissa
submerging about 2,600 villages spread over 19 districts and
leaving eight dead as the state government stepped up relief
and rescue operations for 11 lakh affected people on Sunday.
The floods, which claimed eight lives and left three
others missing so far, have snapped road communications at
several places in Puri, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur,
Sambalpur, Boudh and Sonepur districts, official sources said.
With low lying areas submerged by flood waters, about
61,000 people have been evacuated and sheltered in safe places
as government intensified relief work for about 11 lakh people
in 2,600 villages of 19 districts.
As 13.66 lakh cusec water flowed from the flooded
Mahanadi through Mundali near Cuttack, a large number of
breaches were created in the river system in the thickly
populated delta region, sources said.
The situation is likely to improve by tomorrow as the
water level at Hirakud dam fell to 628.41 feet following
reduced inflow into the reservoir, water resources department
secretary Suresh Mohapatra said.
With water flow into Hirakud reservoir dropping to 7.55
lakh cusec, 16 gates of the dam were closed leaving 43 open
through which about 8.9 lakh cusec water was being discharged,
a senior official said.
Though the volume of water flow in Mahanadi and other
rivers has dropped, the situation is likely to remain critical
for the next two days as it would be difficult for excess
water to be released into the sea due to high tide on account
of full moon tomorrow, Mohapatra said.
A naval ship from Vishakhapatnam with a helicopter and
relief material is set to join the operation, while a chopper
meant for anti-naxal drive was kept ready for air dropping of
food and other essentials, Special Relief Commissioner P K
Mohapatra said.
Air dropping of food packets was necessary in areas cut
off due to breaches in river banks and embankments and
submergence by water, the SRC said.
As water level at several places including Naraj, Jobra,
Alipingala and Daleighai remained above the danger mark, about
11,000 houses have so far been damaged due to floods, sources
said.
As many as 152 relief camps with free kitchens have been
opened in Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Boudh, Cuttack,
Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Sambalpur and
Subarnapur districts.
The state government has also requested the defence
ministry to come to its rescue if the situation worsens,
Mohapatra said, adding that 1,400 boats including 200
mechanised vessels were pressed into service.
The state government has also issued directions to
district collectors to close schools in their respective areas
in view of the situation.
About 500 weak points have been identified on river banks
and embankments of which 28 are prone to breach.
Engineers and experts have been camping there to keep
vigil, they said.
The situation is expected to stabilise tomorrow
following respite from rainfall in upper catchment of river
Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh.