Balasore, Jul 27: The Subarnarekha River has surged past warning levels, triggering its fifth major flood and threatening over 30 villages in Bhogarai block of Balasore district.

The river, swollen by heavy rainfall and discharge from Jharkhand’s Galudih Barrage, is flowing above the danger mark at Rajghat, prompting urgent evacuation and relief efforts.

According to the Water Resources Department, the river is expected to reach 11.40 meters by late Sunday night, well above the danger level of 10.36 meters. Villages including Khuridpipal, Nachinda, Kusuda, Gabagaon, Kumhiragadi, Putina, Daruha, Kachhuadi, Kulida, and Mahagaba are already experiencing water ingress, with more areas likely to be submerged by evening.

Local roads such as Nachinda-Barabatia PMGSY Road and Baharda-Chirakula Road are inundated, disrupting transportation and isolating communities. Agricultural lands—especially paddy fields—have been severely affected, with hundreds of hectares under water.

To mitigate the crisis, the administration has deployed 15,000 sandbags to reinforce weak embankments and stationed five country boats, ODRAF, and fire services for rescue operations. Relief shelters have been activated in 13 panchayats, offering dry food and safe accommodation to displaced residents.

Balasore Collector and Water Resources officials are on high alert, coordinating 24x7 monitoring and evacuation efforts. The Chief Engineer confirmed that the situation is being closely watched, and additional support will be mobilized if the water level continues to rise.

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