Odisha: Hirakud waters, weekend rain may spur floods in 4 districts

BHUBANESWAR/SAMBALPUR: The government has sounded an alert of low-to-medium floods in the districts of Cuttack, Kendrapada, Puri and Jagatsinghpur by Saturday and has stepped up efforts to meet the challenge. Special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said more than 8 lakh cusec of water may pass through Mundali barrage near Cuttack on Saturday as floodwater discharged by Hirakud dam will reach the barrage between Saturday morning and noon.Low-lying areas in these four districts may be affected by the rise in water level.
“The district administrations have been alerted to tackle the situation. Thirty teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and 12 NDRF teams have been deployed in the riverside districts. Besides, more personnel from NDRF Mundali are on standby,” Jena said. What may worsen the flood situation is the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD)’s prediction of heavy rain in some parts of Odisha on Sunday and Monday under the influence of a cyclonic circulation over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining Myanmar coast. “There may be heavy rain in some places of north Odisha,” IMD DG Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra told TOI.
High tide may add to problem
Sarat Sahu, former director of IMD Bhubaneswar centre, said floodwater discharge to the sea may be slow in view of the high tide owing to the full moon on Sunday. “Generally high tide slows down floodwater discharge, he said.
Huge inflow of water into Hirakud reservoir has resulted in the inundation of Chikhili village under Ambabhona block of Bargarh district. Chikhili is situated on the fringe of Hirakud reservoir. Many houses in the village were under water and around 90 people were forced to move to a school at the nearby Ganthiapali village for safety.