Bhubaneswar: Three people have died, and more than two lakh have been affected as floods continue to batter Odisha following heavy rain. Balasore is the worst-affected district, with about 1.09 lakh people hit by the floods, while all three deaths were reported from Keonjhar.Apart from Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar are among the severely hit districts, while parts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati and Malkangiri have also been affected.Among the three deaths, a young fire services personnel was electrocuted while pumping rainwater out of a flooded house, an elderly man died in a wall collapse, and a child was washed away in the floodwater. Officials said 26‑year‑old firefighter Chandan Pattnaik, who hailed from Angul district’s Kholua village, came in contact with a live wire that had fallen into the floodwater. Pattnaik, who had joined the service in Nov 2024, was taken to the district headquarters hospital but was declared dead on arrival.As of Wednesday afternoon, around 30,000 people from 44 blocks across the state had been shifted to safer places. Floodwaters from Budhabalanga river entered several villages in Balasore, while Baitarani, Salandi and Jalaka rivers were flowing above the danger mark at many places.In Jajpur district, flash floods in the Baitarani river and its tributary Kani inundated about 75 villages across 24 gram panchayats on Wednesday, affecting more than 65,000 people. Several villages in Dasarathpur, Binjharpur, Jajpur and Korei blocks were marooned as floodwaters damaged houses, roads, crops and livestock. Officials and villagers reinforced vulnerable embankments with sandbags overnight.Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, currently in New Delhi, is monitoring the situation. “I have been closely and continuously monitoring developments. After consulting our ministers Suryabanshi Suraj, Krushna Chandra Mahapatra and Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, I reviewed the conditions in the affected areas and instructed that relief efforts be intensified further,” he wrote on X.The CM said collectors in the affected districts have been directed to remain fully alert and ensure that assistance reaches every distressed family. The special relief commissioner is directly overseeing the situation while maintaining coordination with all district administrations, he added. “Govt stands firmly with you at all times for your safety and support. Do not panic; stay cautious and cooperate with the local administration,” Majhi urged residents.Meanwhile, revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari chaired a high-level review meeting with chief secretary Anu Garg, senior officials and departments concerned. He said district collectors had been authorised to decide on the closure of schools and other educational institutions depending on local conditions. Leaves of govt employees on emergency duty have been cancelled.“Relief centres have been set up with cooked food, dry rations, and arrangements for children, women and elderly people. Women police personnel have been deployed at relief centres, and patrolling has been made mandatory in vulnerable areas. Medical teams have been deployed, essential medicines stocked, anti-snake venom supplied and MBBS doctors positioned at PHCs,” Pujari said.The state has deployed 17 NDRF and ODRAF teams, and around 60 fire services teams in vulnerable areas. Senior IAS officers have been assigned to monitor the situation and coordinate with the district administrations, the special relief commissioner’s office said on Wednesday.Water Resources chief engineer Dilip Rout said the flood situation in north Odisha may continue for another day, though river levels are expected to start receding. The recession of floodwater has slowed due to full moon-related high spring tides. He said only one major breach has been reported so far, at Anandpur in the Baitarani system.Rout also warned that the Mahanadi river system may witness a medium-level flood due to heavy rain in the upper catchments of Hirakud reservoir and the expected release of floodwater. Two gates of Hirakud Dam remain open, and inflows are being monitored. Discharge at Munduli may rise to around nine lakh cusecs, he added.Several interior districts received heavy rain under the influence of a depression. Bijepur in Bargarh recorded the highest rainfall at 315mm. The latest forecast has placed Bargarh, Balangir, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Rayagada on high alert for possible heavy to very heavy rainfall.The govt has begun assessing damaged houses, and assistance to affected families is being processed as per norms.Citizens have been advised not to enter flooded areas or cross overflowing water bodies, to move to relief centres when asked, and call 112 for emergency assistance.(With inputs from Hemanta Pradhan, Siraj Mohammad, Ashis Senapati & Naresh Chandra Pattanayak)
