Severe flooding in Kendrapada: Over 80,000 affected as Brahmani river overflows | Bhubaneswar News

Bhubaneswar/Kendrapada: The overflowing Brahmani river and its tributaries on Sunday submerged villages in around 28 gram panchayats in Kendrapada district, affecting around 80,000 people. State govt is also on high alert as over 6 lakh cusecs of water flowed in the Mahanadi at noon, which is likely to submerge several areas in the lower catchment of the river basin.Officers of the water resources department have been conducting field visits and keeping a close watch on weak embankments and vulnerable areas. All district administrations, water resources and revenue departments, ODRAF, fire personnel have been put on alert.“The Mahanadi was at its peak at Mundali at noon. At 11am, 6.16 lakh cusecs of water was flowing at Mundali barrage. The flow will gradually decrease as there is no fresh rainfall upstream of the Hirakud dam,” said engineer-in-chief (water resources), Chandrasekhar Padhi.State govt asked people not to panic and assured it is well-prepared for all eventualities. “When there is heavy rain, water levels of reservoirs will increase. When water is released from the dams, it may lead to flooding. Heavy rain in the last few days caused flooding in some towns like Balasore. Currently, about 4-5 lakh cusecs of water is passing through Mundali barrage. Flood situation arises when 10 lakh cusecs of water pass through. There has been no rain since Sunday morning, so we are expecting the water levels to go down soon,” said revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari.“I request all not to panic or worry at all. Take care of children and elderly persons. We are totally prepared to face any situation,” he added.Fresh flood on Sunday affected villages in Pattamundai and Aul blocks of Kendrapada, the fourth in the past two months.“After the third spell of flood subsided, people went back to their homes to assess the damage. But fresh flooding has forced them to return to the shelters again,” said Purnachandra Nayak, 62, of worst-affected Singhagaon GP under Pattamundai block.“In the worst-hit areas, little can be done until the water recedes. Nobody is sure how long that will take,” said Anapurna Sethi, sarpanch of Penthapala GP.Evacuating people stranded on roads, embankments and other higher places is posing a major challenge for the authorities. Kendrapada collector Raghuram R Iyer said, “Fresh flood wreaked havoc in many villages in Pattamundai and Aul blocks. We are providing all types of aid to flood-hit villagers. We have directed the block development officers and other officials to monitor relief work.”