And with the Hirakud reservoir getting additional flood water, the government decided to open 14 additional gates, increasing the risk of flooding in rivers already in spate.
Chief Minister if the flood situation is critical Naveen Patnaik Asked the officials to ensure zero casualties.
Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said, “The next 48 hours will be crucial for the Mahanadi delta region.”
“The flood situation on the Mahanadi river system turned critical when the water level in Hirakud reservoir exceeded 626 feet while the level of the entire reservoir was 630 feet till 12 noon.
With the release of more than 12 lakh cusecs of flood water, the peak flow of water from the river system will continue till 3 am on Wednesday. The flow will gradually decrease,” Jena said.
1.2 lakh people living in 1,376 villages in 10 districts are stranded due to the floods.
“Ninety free kitchens are providing cooked food to the affected people, while district collectors have been asked to evacuate people whenever necessary. So far, 707 houses have collapsed, but the number is expected to rise,” the SRC said. Is.”
As per the latest reports, 40 of the 64 sluice gates of the Hirakud dam were opened to release about 6,72,722 cusecs of flood water against an inflow of 6,36,950 cusecs of water.
9 teams of NDRF and ODRAF deployed at sensitive places
The flow of water at Mundali barrage in Cuttack district crossed 1.2 million cusecs, while the water level of the barrage reached 97.80 feet against the danger mark of 97.25 feet on Tuesday evening.
The water level in Mahanadi, Bagmati, Kamala Balan, Gandak, Bodhi Gandak and Kosi rivers has been rising for the past two days, threatening hundreds of villages in over half a dozen districts, an official said.
“Flood has entered villages, agricultural areas and is flowing over bridges in Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Boudh, Cuttack, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Puri districts. Two cracks and several small cracks on Mahanadi embankment in Khurda and Puri districts. Resource department officials are working on repairing the cracks on a war footing.
A bridge on NH-326 connecting Koraput and Rayagada collapsed, disrupting vehicular movement. Official sources said that though no casualties were reported, barricades have been put up.
Nine teams of National Disaster Response Force and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed at vulnerable places, while 44 teams of Fire Service are engaged in relief and rescue operations. On Tuesday, five fire brigade teams successfully rescued 550 school children and 80 teachers trapped in Gatirautpatana village of Cuttack district.