Odisha floods: CM Mohan Charan Majhi begins aerial survey as 70,000 moved to relief camps

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday began an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in Ganjam, Koraput and Nabarangpur as rivers remained swollen following heavy rain across 13 districts of the state.

More than 70,000 people had been moved from low-lying areas by Saturday and accommodated in 395 relief camps after several villages were inundated, officials said.

Majhi is reviewing the situation along with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil. The aerial survey, however, was delayed by about two hours because of a technical problem with the helicopter, sources said.

The Chief Minister is scheduled to cover the worst-affected areas of Ganjam, Koraput and Nabarangpur in southern Odisha before landing at Jeypore in Koraput, where he will hold a review meeting. He is also scheduled to visit rain-affected areas of Nabarangpur in the afternoon.

The state government has been responding to the latest spell of extreme weather after a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal triggered heavy rainfall, flooding and waterlogging. At least 24 locations in Odisha recorded more than 100 mm of rain in the 24 hours to Friday, with Tentulikhunti in Nabarangpur recording 395 mm, Nandahandi 344 mm and Boriguma in Koraput 307.8 mm.

Hirakud releases more water as reservoir nears full level

The Hirakud Dam administration opened two additional sluice gates on Sunday to release more water flowing into the reservoir. With the latest opening, water is being discharged through 22 gates.

The reservoir level stood at 628.29 feet against its full reservoir level of 630 feet.

The situation has added to the flood threat in several parts of the state, with authorities continuing to move residents of vulnerable areas to safer locations.

The 13 districts affected by the recent heavy rainfall are Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Keonjhar, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Bolangir and Jagatsinghpur.

The state government had already issued public-safety measures in response to the deep depression, with preparations focused on evacuation, relief and the supply of cooked food in affected areas.

Balasore among worst-hit districts

Balasore has emerged as one of the worst-affected districts, with three major rivers flowing above their respective danger levels.

At 6am, the Subarnarekha was flowing at 11.68 metres at Rajghat in Jaleswar, substantially above its danger level of 10.36 metres. The rising river has inundated villages in the Bhograi, Jaleswar, Baliapal and Basta blocks, officials said.

The Budhabalang was also flowing above its danger mark, while smaller rivers including the Kansabansa, Soa and Gangahar were in spate.

The flooding follows the deep depression that moved through the region and produced exceptionally heavy rainfall in parts of southern Odisha. The Indian Express reported that several rivers, including the Jalaka and Budhabalanga in Balasore and the Baitarani and Kani in Jajpur, had crossed danger levels during the earlier phase of the weather system.

In neighbouring Mayurbhanj, authorities temporarily closed Devkund, a popular tourist destination inside the Similipal National Park, after several streams and water channels swelled significantly, an official said.

The latest flood response comes after Odisha's government had earlier reiterated its focus on disaster preparedness and a "zero casualty" approach, including strengthening disaster shelters, improving alerts and preparing contingency measures for extreme weather.