JOIN USThe Odisha government on Monday directed the collectors of 12 out of the state's 30 districts to remain on high alert to handle the flood situation, even as water levels in major rivers went up following heavy rain over the past 72 hours under the impact of a low-pressure formation in the Bay of Bengal.
The alert was issued after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the rain and flood situation at a high-level official meeting at the state secretariat. The flood situation is expected to worsen, as the local Met department has already predicted more rain over the next 24 hours.
In some pockets, the rainfall is expected to be very heavy. “The collectors have been ordered to remain on high alert. They have been asked to evacuate people from low-lying areas wherever necessary.
“Relief camps and free kitchens have already been opened in different districts to provide shelter and cooked food to flood-affected people,” said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradipta Mohapatra, who attended the high-level review meeting. The 12 districts are mostly located in northern, western and coastal Odisha.
The flood waters of major rivers like Mahanadi, Baitarani and their branches have already entered villages in many of these 12 districts. In fact, the water level in both the Mahanadi, the biggest river in the state, and Baitarani have crossed the danger mark in more than one place.
Flood and rain water have also inundated many areas in urban centres like Bhadrak town in north Odisha and Sambalpur town in the west.
The SRC said 16 flood and rain-related deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the monsoon this year. Of these, two have been recorded over the past 24 hours.
Teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Forces have been deployed in different districts to assist local authorities in rescue and relief operations.