Bhubaneswar: Authorities in five coastal districts of Cuttack, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada remained on alert on Monday as floodwater from Mahanadi surged downstream following the opening of 30 gates of Hirakud dam.Mundali barrage was discharging around 8 lakh cusecs of water on Monday evening. In Cuttack district, floodwater entered farmlands in Banki, where farmers said they had suffered crop damage for the fourth time this season. With water flowing about 3 feet above the Huluhula bridge near Banki, road communication was cut off to six panchayats in Banki block and four in Tigiria block.The Cuttack district administration barred public entry to Dhabaleswar Shiva shrine till Tuesday evening as a precautionary measure. Floodwater also entered the sanctum sanctorum of Maa Bhattarika temple on the Mahanadi bank in Badamba. “Our paddy and vegetable crops have been damaged. We cannot survive if floods keep recurring in a single season,” said Bharat Khatua, a farmer from Cuttack district.Engineer-in-chief of the water resources department Dilip Rout said efforts were being made to keep the discharge at Mundali within 8 lakh cusecs. “The inflow into Hirakud has started declining in the absence of major rainfall in the upstream areas of the reservoir and is expected to reduce further,” he said.Rout said low-lying areas and paddy fields in Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and parts of Kendrapara could be affected by flooding in Mahanadi and its distributaries. District administrations have been asked to remain alert and monitor embankments closely, he added.Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said govt was taking steps to ensure that the discharge at Mundali did not cross 10 lakh cusecs. He said NDRF, ODRAF and fire services personnel had been kept ready in vulnerable districts to respond to emergencies.Floodwater also affected some low-lying areas in Sambalpur. Gunderpur bridge on the Sambalpur-Subarnapur SH-15 was submerged following heavy flow in the river. Farmlands were inundated in Binika area of Subarnapur district and Ambabhona in Bargarh district.In Jharsuguda, more than 50 acres of farmland at Gudam village under Pithinda gram panchayat in Lakhanpur block were submerged by Hirakud reservoir backwaters, damaging standing crops and affecting over 25 farmers. Vegetable crops, including cauliflower, cabbage, bitter gourd, beans and brinjal, besides around 15 acres of groundnut, remained underwater.Farmers said crops could rot if the water did not recede soon and sought assessment of losses, compensation and assistance. Semelia, Sukhasoda, Chikli and Sarda were among the main affected areas. Crop loss assessment would be conducted after the water receded fully, said official sources.The flood situation in north Odisha showed signs of improvement as water levels in Subarnarekha, Baitarani, Budhabalanga, Jalaka and Salandi rivers receded. Conditions also improved in south Odisha districts on Monday.India Meteorological Department said very light to light rainfall occurred at isolated places in the state in the past 24 hours, with Lathikata in Sundargarh district recording the highest rainfall of 10 mm. It forecast light to moderate rain at isolated places over the next three to four days and issued thunderstorm warnings for some districts for the next two days.(With inputs from Ritesh Sharma in Jharsuguda)
