Torrential rain in the upper catchment area of Mahanadi and the surging water from Hirakud reservoir have inundated more than 9,000 villages in Orissa.
The surge has killed 38 people and affected more than 60 lakh in many coastal areas and interior districts. A third round of more devastating floods is expected tonight.
With authorities continuing to release water from the Hirakud dam, the flood situation in the coastal districts threatens to spiral out of control. By 3 pm today, 5.46 lakh cusecs flowed out from 33 sluice gates as against an inflow of 4.56 lakh cusecs.
Though the water level at the reservoir stands at 626.65 feet, the authorities are trying to flush out more water as another cloudburst is likely in the upper catchment area of Mahanadi over the next 24 hours.
The rainfall has been so severe that between June 1 and July 18, the state received an average rainfall of 806.55 mm as against an average of 422 mm for that period.
“The situation has turned worse than expected. It is the most devastating flood in the history of the state.
But the government is doing its best as far as relief and rescue operations are concerned,’’ said revenue minister Biswabhusan Harichandan here today.
Forecasts predict that the flood situation will worsen tonight as a record amount of 16 lakh cusecs of water is expected to pass through the Naraj barrage, flooding more areas in the coastal district. There has been more than 30 breaches in major embankments so far.
The Naveen Patnaik administration has been caught on the wrong foot as a large number of marooned people were left to fend for themselves Yesterday, the state government had claimed that the heads of the gram panchayats had been asked to provide relief at the local level.
More 300 people have been starving at Daleisahi village in Jajpur district for the past three days. The village has been completely cut off from the mainland by the overflowing Birupa river. The villagers have been forced to take shelter on the road connecting Daitari to Paradip.
Balaram Dalei (55), head of a 10-member family in the village, had a tough time procuring food. This morning, Dalei and two other villagers went to the local panchayat office at Balichandrapur only to return empty-handed. “I have just taken just a handful of chira (flattened rice) since this morning. Though we have some rice there is no fuel to cook. We have not seen any government official since Monday,’’ said Sunakar Dalei. Others like Prahlad Routray had a few thin arrowroot biscuits “donated” by an NGO this morning. The administration has failed to rush relief to villages like Daleisahi, located along the highway, in the flood-affected Kendrapara district. The army has also been deployed for rescue operations.