Flood Fury / Flood Misery Persists despite Falling River Levels in Odisha

Bhadrak, Aug 10: Although the water levels of the Baitarani and Salandi rivers have begun to recede, the plight of flood-affected communities remains severe.

In particular, villages along the Salandi river continue to suffer as breaches in embankments have not yet been fully repaired.

At Rajghat, floodwaters are flowing below the danger mark, yet heavy discharge from the Hadagada dam — around 1,400 cusecs per second — has kept the Salandi swollen. As a result, breaches at Baro and Lanjatara along the Salandi and Nalia rivers remain active, allowing floodwaters to inundate surrounding areas.

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Even after three days, repairs have not been completed, leaving villages such as Lanjatara and Shasan in Bilana Panchayat submerged. Similarly, Baro Deeh village in Baro Panchayat and parts of Matagajpur and Jena Sahi in Talgopabindha Panchayat remain waterlogged.

Floodwaters flowing over Arnapal and Matagajpur bridges have disrupted transport, forcing many residents to stay in temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, the Rengali dam in Anugola district has been opened for the second time this season. Through gate number 8 and the power channel, 2,000 cubic meters of water per second is being released, while 2,500 cubic meters per second continues to enter the reservoir due to heavy rainfall upstream.

With the reservoir level at 122.14 meters against its capacity of 123.50 meters, authorities have issued warnings downstream, advising people to stay away from riverbanks.

In Sundargarh district, continuous rainfall has led to the opening of six out of eleven gates of the Mandira dam on the Shankha river at Kandsabahal on Sunday.

This has raised water levels in the Brahmani river. Rourkela recorded 68.2 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. With the holy month of Shravan underway, the administration has also tightened safety measures at Vedvyas Peeth to protect devotees.