Baitarani, Salandi rivers in spate; embankment breach causes flood in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha worsened on Wednesday as the Baitarani and Salandi rivers continued to swell, inundating villages and disrupting road connectivity in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. Water levels in the Baitarani crossed the danger mark by a wide margin, while a major embankment breach in Jajpur’s Dasarathpur block left hundreds of families stranded. According to flood monitoring data, the Baitarani river at Akhuapada anicut was flowing at 20.40 metres at 7 am, significantly above the danger level of 18.33 metres and the warning level of 17.83 metres. The high floodwaters caused a breach in an embankment at Mahapatra Sahi in Jayantara village under Dasarathpur block. The breach, estimated to be around 100 feet long, has submerged the area, leaving nearly 100 families marooned. The affected residents have been shifted by the district administration to a relief shelter at Swami Vivekananda High School in Jayantara. Floodwater at the Jayantara breach has risen to the same level as the nearby Mahapatra Sahi locality, indicating complete inundation. At Tarai Sahi in Katikata, floodwater has reached a depth of around six feet, while nearly two feet of water is flowing over the main river embankment. Floodwaters have also overtopped the main Baitarani embankment at Katikata, where the Water Resources Department has launched emergency protection work by placing sandbags, plastic sheets and bamboo supports to prevent further damage. In another vulnerable stretch, floodwater from the Kani branch river is entering agricultural fields through a breach near Kantapada, raising concerns over extensive crop damage. The situation has also deteriorated in Bhadrak district, where both the Salandi and Baitarani rivers surged above the danger mark overnight. Floodwater has spread from villages into urban areas, leaving large parts of the district waterlogged. Road connectivity between Dhamnagar and Jajpur has been snapped after the Sendahpur bridge and ghat in Dhamnagar block went under floodwater.

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