-- Rain, road communications hit
in Odisha-AP border
-- Incessant rains wreak havoc in
coastal dists
BRAHMAPUR/BHUBANESWAR: Heavy
rainfall caused due to low pressure over south coastal Andhra Pradesh adjoining
west central Bay of Bengal created flood situation in
south Odisha on Thursday.
“Almost all the rivers in the
region were flowing above the danger level as incessant rains continued to lash
the State for four consecutive days,” said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC)
Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra.
He said that nearly 66,000 of 129
villages in Ganjam district had been cut-off from rest of the world. Small
breaches have been created at many places due to spate in different rivers
including Bahuda.
After badly hit by the cyclonic storm Phailin, Ganjam has received
heavy to very heavy rainfall during last four days which has triggered
flood-like situation in Rushikulya, Badanadi, Baghua, Bahuda, Ghodahada, Bagi,
Lohrakhandi, Poichandia, Kanteijhuda, Batarada and Mahendrataneya rivers which
threaten Aska, Ganjam, Digapahandi, Sheragada, Chikiti, Patrapur, Bhanjanagar,
Hinjilikatu, Purushottampur and Begunia blocks of the district.
Incessant rains left Brahmapur
city in miserable condition too. Slums and low lying areas were engulfed with
water as Bahana Naala failed to drain out flood water. Gajapati Nagar, Gobinda
Nagar, Basudev Nagar, Neelanchala Nagar were inundated with the rainwater,
officials said.
Odisha Disaster Rapid Action
Force (ODRAF) team has started rescuing people by using boats.
Raibari Behera, an elderly woman
of Alipur in Aska block, swept away in the floodwater, while three others
reportedly died in wall collapse in the district, sources said.
Also disruption in relief and
restoration works caused due to rains has compounded the affected people’s
woes.
Similarly, flood situation was
worsening in Gajapati and Rayagada districts. Many villages under Mohana and
Kasinagar blocks in Gajapati district and Gunupur area in Rayagada district
have been affected as floodwater entered into villages.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
directed the district administration to arrange free kitchens to provide cooked
food to the flood-affected people in Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada. Eight teams
of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and ODRAF have been deployed in
rescue operation in the region, official sources said.
Also, road and rail communication
between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh was badly hit due to heavy flow of water on
roads and railway tracks. Odisha State Road Transportation Corporation (OSRTC)
cancelled all its buses to Gajapati and undivided Koraput in view of the flood
situation.
Similarly, East Coast Railway
(ECoR) has cancelled trains between Ichhapuram and Jhadupudi stations in
Brahmapur-Palasa section due to torrential rains. Train services have also been
disrupted between Khurda Road
and Vizianagaram from the evening of October 23. As a result, long distance
trains have been diverted and some trains have been short terminated,
rescheduled and partially cancelled, ECoR sources said.
Low pressure-induced rains also
wrecked havoc in coastal districts including Puri, Khurda, Cuttack,
Bhubaneswar, Jagatsinghpur,
Baleswar on Thursday. It was reported that rivers in North Odisha
including Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha and Brahmani were swelling.
The trough line which was created
earlier is moving towards interior Odisha so that the district Collectors of North
Odisha were directed to remain alert, the SRC said.
The Met department said that
heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur at one or two places during next 24
hours. Local cautionary signal number three (LC-III) hoisted at all ports in
Odisha. Squally weather with wind speed of 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph may
prevail along and off Odisha Coast.
Sea condition would be rough to very rough so that fishermen were advised not
to venture into the sea.
Published on October 25, 2013 in The Pioneer
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