Flood Fury / Subarnarekha Floodwaters Recede, Over 200 Villages Still Inundated In Baleshwar's Bhograi

Baleshwar, Aug 21: Floodwaters of the Subarnarekha river are gradually receding; however, the situation remains difficult in Odisha’s Baleshwar district, with more than 200 villages in Bhograi block still affected by inundation, a source said on Friday.

Although the water level has fallen, several villages remain submerged, with floodwaters reaching around 5 feet in some areas. Several kutcha houses have also been damaged by the floodwaters. Around 1.5 feet of water receded from the villages overnight.

The Subarnarekha is now flowing below the danger level at Rajghat in Baleshwar. Against the danger mark of 10.36 metres, the river’s water level stood at 9.75 metres.

80,000 People Affected In Bhograi
Flooding has affected 22 gram panchayats in Bhograi block, 15 panchayats in Baliapal block and several villages in Jaleswar block.

In Bhograi, 19 panchayats remain marooned, while all 22 panchayats have been affected by the floods. Around 80,000 people in the block have been affected, according to the information provided.

The administration has been supplying cooked food in the morning and evening for the past three days. It is now providing 1 kg of flattened rice and jaggery per person. Around 4 kg of cattle feed is also being supplied for livestock.

Five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams and five boats deployed by the block administration are engaged in rescue operations.

Also Read: Woman Carried 2 Km On Cot As Ambulance Unable To Reach Flood-Hit Village In Jajpur's Bari

Four Hirakud Gates Closed
Meanwhile, four more gates of the Hirakud Dam have been closed, reducing the number of open gates from 15 to 11.

On Friday morning, the reservoir’s water level stood at 621.50 feet, with an inflow of 2,59,805 cusecs per second. More than 2 lakh cusecs of water is being released through the 11 open gates.