Rainwater entered the premises of the Community Health Centre at Polsara which was recently transformed and upgraded as part of the Ama Hospital initiative under the 5T programme of the Odisha government.
As per reports, several parts of the hospital including wards, dressing room, and waiting hall were flooded after the short spell of rain. It is pertinent to mention here that the newly updated hospital was inaugurated a few months back.
Though the concerned hospital authorities could not be contacted, the Medical in-charge Narayan Swain said," Rainwater entered some parts of the hospital including the ward which caused some problems. It was inaugurated recently and we will inform the CDMO for necessary action."
A similar situation was also witnessed at Aska Sub-divisional Hospital after the rain. From the hospital's entry to the dressing room and doctors' chambers, most parts of the hospital were flooded with rainwater.
The hospital was transformed under the 5T initiative of the state government at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore one month back. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated the hospital via video conferencing.
Works Department SDO Amiya Mishra said that a review will be conducted and works will be taken up accordingly.
OTV’s Pragnya Bharati Choudhury and cameraperson Jyotshna Rani Dalai were conferred with the award for their ground reporting on the need for sanitary pads for menstruating women in flood-affected regions.
Out of 857 entries in 13 languages across the nation, OTV’s Pragnya and Jyotshna scripted history by winning the award that commits to fostering gender sensitivity in media and advancing the vision of a more gender-just and equitable society.
“OTV gave us an opportunity to understand the challenges faced by menstruating women in flood-affected regions. We were shocked to hear heart-wrenching stories of young girls and women. Even as the government made arrangements for dry food in flood-affected regions, no one cared for the plight of the menstruating women,” said Pragnya.
“OTV brought to the fore the plight of these women and Odisha government immediately distributed sanitary pads in the flood-hit areas. Today, Laadli Media Awards has honoured us for our work and encouraged us to do better in the future,” she added.
Also read: OTV Impact: Odisha SRC orders distribution of free sanitary pads in 10 flood-hit districts
Echoing similar views, Jyotshna said, “I’m grateful to OTV for believing in us and sending us to understand the plights of women in flood-hit areas. The channel also religiously aired the plight of menstruating women, forcing the Odisha government to take steps in distributing the sanitary pads.”
“Today, Laadli Media Awards has recognized our work and we are grateful,” she added.
Worth mentioning, OTV had telecast a report on how menstruating girls/women of flood-affected Santras village under Gop block in Puri district were suffering due to lack of access to sanitary pads. Hours after OTV aired the news on the difficulties faced by menstruating girls and women in flood-affected areas for not having sanitary pads, the Odisha government decided to distribute pads in the flood-hit areas free of cost.
The Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) subsequently wrote to the Collectors of 10 flood-hit districts- Khordha, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Boudh, asking them to make it sure that girls and women in marooned villages get sanitary pads.
Notably, The Laadli Media Advocacy initiatives focus on promoting gender sensitivity in media and communication to build a more gender-equitable society with the support from UNFPA and Jaipur-based media advocacy organisation Lok Samvad Sansthan organised this grand function at the Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur.
Though water has entered some low-lying pockets, there is no flood threat, said the Engineering-in-chief, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty.
Meanwhile, the Hirakud dam authorities today opened four more dates to release excess water. With this, now excess floodwater is being released through 26 gates of the Hirakud reservoir.
The authorities of Hirakud dam ruled out further opening of more gates. Anand Sahu, chief engineer of Hirakud Dam said, “Due inflow of water, we have decided to open four more gates of Hirakud. But as there is no chance of more inflow, we will keep the 26 gates open as of now.”
Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty, Engineer-in-chief of the Water Resources Department said, “The inflow into Hirakud is 4.50 lakh cusecs and outflow is around 4.55 lakh cusecs through 26 gates. Around 7 lakh cusecs of floodwater is flowing at Mundali.”
According to Mohanty, the situation has cropped up due to heavy rainfall activities in Mahanadi downstream and upstream areas in Chhattisgarh.
“We are operating the gates of Hirakud as per the inflow from upstream. As of now, there is no flood threat in Odisha. The overall management is good. We are monitoring all things and working in coordination with the SRC,” Mohanty added.
Engineer-in-Chief of the State Water Resources Department, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty said that the state government is ready for any situation. The upper catchment areas of Mahanadi river received an average rainfall of around 37 mm. A peak inflow of around 2,00,000 cusecs is expected into Hirakud dam.
“We have opened 10 gates of Hirakud and the current water level of the reservoir stands at 6 28.77 ft. The water flow at Khairmal stands at 1,27,000 cusecs and it is around 92,000 cusecs at Mundali. We expect a peak flow of around 4,50,000 to 5,00,000 cusecs of floodwater at Khiarmal and subsequently in Mundali,” said Mohanty.
Mohanty further informed that there is not much rainfall in the downstream of Hirakud while the upstream is likely to experience rainfall activities.
“We will assess the rainfall situation in the evening and if needed more gates will be opened. There is no flood situation in Odisha,” Mohanty added.
The worst-affected panchayats are Talagopabindha, Bilana, Baro, Kampada and Shyamsundarpur. Due to the flood in the Salandi River, the villages have been marooned for the last nine days. The villagers have to wade through knee-deep water on roads.
The flood water has also caused huge damage to the paddy saplings as they are still under four feet of water.
“We are facing a lot of problems. Starting from the roads to paddy fields, everything is submerged in knee-deep water,” complained Biswambar Khatua, a villager.
A villager who was earning his livelihood by rearing broilers also suffered a huge loss as all the birds died in the flood.
“My son had a poultry farm. The flood water rushed into our village within half an hour, giving us hardly any time to save the birds. The water entered the farm and around 400 of them died,” said Sabitri Khatua, a villager.
Senior officials informed that Hirakud recorded an inflow of around 3,50, 000 cusecs while the outflow is almost similar.
“As there has been a drop in the inflow of floodwater into the reservoir, we hope to maintain our target level and bring the water level of the dam down as there has been no major rainfall in the upstream,” said Engineer-in-chief of Water Resources Department, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty.
Around 2, 61, 500 cusecs of water is now flowing at Mundali.
According to Mohanty, water levels of major rivers are on a declining trend and there is no need to panic as there is no flood threat in the next two to three days.
Meanwhile, a 20 ft breach has developed in the Puri main canal near Balakati on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. On getting information, senior officials visited the spot and began necessary repair work.
Briefing the media, Sahu said, “There is an apprehension of a medium-scale flood in Mahanadi river system. Collectors have been asked to submit damage assessment reports once the rain subsides.”
Sharing details about the preparedness for possible floods, Sahu said, “Necessary arrangements have been made in seven districts in view of possible flood in the Mahanadi system. As many as 23 ODRAF, eight NDRF and 62 Fire Services teams have been deployed in the affected areas.”
The SRC has also directed concerned officials to ensure 24x7 patrolling of vulnerable river embankments with the support of local police and Department of Water Resources (DoWR) engineers.
Besides, the officials have also been directed to evacuate people from low-lying areas as may be required and shift them to safe shelter buildings with light, toilet, water and food arrangements.
"Around 9 lakh cusecs of flood water is likely to pass in river Mahanadi at Mundali by this evening. It will take around 12 hours for floodwater to reach Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Puri. So, the Collectors of these three districts have been asked to remain alert," the SRC informed adding that, there is a risk of medium-scale flood and all are prepared for it.
According to SRC’s office, the State has received an average rainfall of 83.8 mm during the last 24 hours. The highest rainfall of 390.6 mm has been recorded in Boudh block in Boudh district, while four blocks have recorded rainfall of more than 300 mm.
Similarly, 17 blocks have recorded rainfall of more than 200 mm and 68 blocks have recorded rainfall between 100 mm and 200 mm, a notification issued by the SRC read.
While reviewing the situation of Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Boudh, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Subarnapur and Sambalpur districts, the SRC directed the Collectors to take adequate precautionary measures and keep all field-level functionaries at strategic locations prone to waterlogging to meet any eventuality.
Besides, he also directed to evacuate people from waterlogging areas if required and shift them to safe shelters and provide them with dry/cooked food and drinking water.
“Adequate Anti Snake Venum must be available in DHH/CHCs/PHCs. The local Fire Service Teams and ULB authorities shall take steps in de-watering and clearance of uprooted trees if arises,” the notification read.
Collectors may decide closure of schools and anganwadi centres if required due to heavy rain, the office added.
"Anticipating heavy precipitations during next two days, ODRAF teams are being sent to Keonjhar and Sambalpur, Rairakhol for any rescue and search-related duties. NDRF teams are being deployed in Bhadrak and Jajpur," the notification added.
The woman, identified as Basanti Raula of Fakirapur village in Anandapur, was later rescued by the Fire Services personnel.
According to sources, Raula went to river to take a bath this morning. While she was bathing, suddenly the water level of the river increased due to heavy rain and she was swept away by the strong current.
Fortunately, she got stuck in a river islet. On being informed about the incident, Fire Services personnel rushed to the post and rescued the woman.
Raula was immediately rushed to the hospital and her health condition is stated to be stable.
Notably, major rivers across Odisha are in spate as the state continues to witness widespread rainfall activities under the influence of a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal.
Present water level in major rivers
Water level in Bansadhara river stands at 54.90 metre as against the danger mark of 54.60 metre near Kashinagar in Gajapati.
Baitarani river also crossed the danger mark at Rajghat. Currently, the water level of the river stands at 39.14 m against the danger mark of 36.36 m.
The residents of Biramaharajpur area in Subarnapur district have been severely affected as floodwater has entered many low-lying villages. Manisapali, Manisapali Jungle, Brahmanipalli, Baraghat and Krushnapalli villages are marooned after Harihara Jore dam released floodwater on Tuesday night.
According to sources, the dam authorities opened six gates to release excess water after the water level of the reservoir reached 147.2 metre against its capacity of 147.5 metre.
Meanwhile, communication between Biramaharajpur and Luturapanka, Bahalapadara and Durjanatalai panchayats through Amrapalli route has been affected as floodwater is flowing five foot above the road.
Similarly, the continuous downpour has also flooded several parts of Telkoi area.
While floodwater is flowing 5 foot over the bridge over Samakoi river, 10 panchayats remained cut off from the block office.
Similarly, communication between Telkoi and Talcher, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar has been snapped.
Besides, the communication between Telkoi, Rourkela and Sambalpur has been snapped as floodwater is flowing about give foot over Hanumantia Nuallah bridge.
In view of the widespread rainfall activities, holiday has been declared for all schools in 12 Odisha districts on Wednesday.
Road communication from the district headquarters town of Malkangiri to Balimela, Kalimela and Motu towns has been cut off, he said.
Severe water-logging was reported from different parts of the district and water was flowing over different bridges in Potteru and Kangurukonda areas, he said.
With Gora bridge under the water, communication to Andrapalli gram panchayat in Swabhiman Anchal has been affected, the official said.
With a steady rise in water levels, submersion of Gurupriya Bridge, which connects Swabhiman Anchal, a former Maoist bastion, with the rest of the state, cannot be ruled out, he said.
The Met department said that seven blocks in Malkangiri district have received an average rainfall of 943.2 mm in the last 24 hours. However, the average rainfall in the district was 134.74 mm. The flood-like situation has prevented 123 students from attending their degree examinations.
Meanwhile, the IMD forecast more rain as the cyclonic circulation over northwest Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a low pressure area in the next 24 hours.
Fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy downpour is likely over Odisha in the next five days, the IMD said in a bulletin, while warning of water-logging in low-lying areas.
The Met department forecast heavy rain in one or two places in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal and Angul in the next 24 hours.
The weather office issued orange (be updated) warning of heavy to very heavy rain for the districts of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack, Angul, Dhenkanal, Sambalpur and Bargarh on Thursday.
Similarly, heavy rainfall is likely to occur in one or two places in Ganjam, Nayagarh, Boudh, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Sonepur, Nabarangpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Deogarh districts on Thursday.
He said 368 water supply schemes of south, north and central zone were affected due to flood and 308 schemes have been repaired till July 18 with the restoration rate being 83.69 per cent.
He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has released Rs 10 crore for the repair of drinking water supply schemes and also directed to provide clean drinking water to the flood-affected people in all circumstances.
Jimpa said the remaining 60 water supply schemes will also be made operational soon.
Meanwhile, several distressing visuals flooded social media. Extensive property damage, loss of lives, and livestock were also reported from different areas.
However, recently a video has stormed social media in which flooded streets create an illusion of water parks. Moreover, people are also seen enjoying themselves on the streets as they do in water parks.
The video shows waterlogged roads crowded with people. While some people can be seen clicking selfies, others can be seen living in the moment. Several people also can be seen rolling on the road.
Another visual shows some people jumping from the top of a bus stand into the waterlogged road. Not just men, but even children and women can be seen rolling on the waterlogged roads. Moreover, several youths can be seen engaged in fun activities while sitting on the road.
As claimed, the visuals have been captured in Delhi. However, the authenticity of the claims couldn’t be verified. However, it seems, netizens enjoyed the video a lot. Meanwhile, several others have expressed concerns regarding hygiene. Also, the comments section is flooded with hilarious comments.
One user wrote, “Waterpark k maje chaiye budget nhi hai.....Delhi aajao dila dunga.” (sic)
Another wrote, “Inhe kya inke ₹900 bach gaye Water Park ke” (sic)
“Situation chahe jo bhi ho, hume mazze lena ata h,” wrote a third user. (sic)
On Saturday at around 8 p.m, the water level was 206.87m.
Though the level is continuously decreasing, the four districts of the capital -- North, South-East, North-East, and Central -- which have been badly affected have a lot of area still submerged in water. Traffic has also been badly affected due to this.
Since Saturday evening there was been an intermittent downpour in the national capital which has created fresh troubles for Delhiites.
Delhi Minister Atishi said on Saturday that there was heavy rainfall in Delhi this evening again, and the streets are filled with water. She mentioned that it would take time for the water to recede because the level in the drains and the Yamuna River was still very high.
"Pumping out the water from the drains and the Yamuna river is not easy right now because they are already filled with floodwater. Tomorrow morning, all the ministers of the Arvind Kejriwal government will be present on the ground to ensure that every problem related to rainfall and flooding can be addressed," Atishi had tweeted.
The Kejriwal government stated that they had rescued a total of 25,823 people by Saturday evening, out of which 23,451 were living in relief camps.
The Yamuna River broke a 45-year-old record and reached its highest level at 208.65 meters on Thursday (July 13). On Friday, it was flowing at 208.35 meters. As a result of the flood, several low-lying areas have been submerged, and many roads flooded.
Recently, a disturbing visual surfaced on social media that shows a bus with passengers on board getting swept away in raging flood waters while crossing a swollen river.
As per reports, the horrifying incident took place in Savaii in Samoa Islands. In the video, the swollen river can be seen flowing over a bridge. Meanwhile, the bus tries to cross the flooded river. However, after reaching the middle of the bridge, the driver loses control of the vehicle and maintains its course. The bus begins to lurch to the side of the road and gets swept away by the water current. The bus falls into a ditch and gets submerged in the water.
— 1000 WAYS TO DIE (@1000waystod1e) July 14, 2023
As reported by the UK-based Dailymail, the tragic incident took place in 2013 and two girls aged five and 12 were killed. Several other passengers suffered broken bones and other serious injuries in the incident. The injured were rushed to a hospital on the island.
Everyone is advised to remain cautious and act smartly during hazardous events. A wrong move can trigger immense trouble resulting in fatal consequences.
The old video has once again surfaced on social media while heavy rainfall battered several North Indian states causing huge property damages and fatalities.
As of Saturday morning, the water level stood at 207.53 meters, still 2.20 meters above the danger level but slightly lower than Friday's figure of 208.35.
The areas which are still inundated include the ITO, Rajghat, ISBT, and Mathura Road.
On Friday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had informedthat the first gate of the ITO barrage was opened by a diver after 20 hours of extensive work.
The diver had to go deep to remove silt using a silt compressor.
But since the other gates remained closed, the river water continued to reach the main road.
The Yamuna river broke a 45-year-old record and reached its highest level at 208.65 meters on Thursday.
Other prominent areas of the capital city such as Mukherjee Nagar, Model Town, Civil Lines and Majnu Ka Tila, also witnessed massive waterlogging.
On Thursday, the overflowing water had reached near Kejriwal's residence.
The water level at the Old Railway Bridge crossed the 208-metre mark Wednesday night and rose to 208.48 metres by 8 am on Thursday. It is expected to rise further, according to the Central Water Commission, which has termed it an "extreme situation".
With the situation deteriorating every passing hour, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to intervene and the city police imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in flood-prone areas to prevent unlawful assembly of four or more people and public movement in groups.
Lt Governor V K Saxena has also called a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Thursday.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kejriwal requested that the water from Hathnikund barrage in Haryana be released slowly and pointed out that Delhi is set to host the G20 Summit meeting in a few weeks.
"The news of flooding in the capital of the country will not send a good message to the world. Together we will have to save the people of Delhi from this situation," he said.
There are two major barrages on the Yamuna -- Dakpathar in Dehradun and Hathnikund in Yamunanagar, upstream of Delhi. There are no dams on the river and, therefore, most of the monsoon flow remains unutilised, resulting in floods during the season.
Delhi recorded a rapid increase in the Yamuna's water level over the past three days.
It shot up from 203.14 metres at 11 am on Sunday to 205.4 metres at 5 pm on Monday, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres 18 hours earlier than expected.
The river exceeded the evacuation mark of 206 metres Monday night, prompting the relocation of people residing in flood-prone areas to safer locations and the closure of the Old Railway Bridge for road and rail traffic. The water level breached the previous all-time record of 207.49 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday and the 208-metre mark by 10 pm.
Major floods in Delhi occurred in 1924, 1977, 1978, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2010 and 2013. An analysis of flood data from 1963 to 2010 indicate an increasing trend for floods occurring in September, and a decreasing trend in July, according to research.
According to the CWC, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage remained above 1.5 cusecs at night.
Normally, the flow rate at the barrage is 352 cusecs, but heavy rainfall in the catchment areas increases the discharge. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday, raising concern about a further rise in the water level in the rivers.
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana recorded "heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall over three days from Saturday. This resulted in overflowing rivers, creeks and drains that have massively damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services.
Delhi witnessed its highest rainfall (153 mm) in a single day in July since 1982 in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Sunday. The city received an additional 107 mm rainfall in the subsequent 24 hours, exacerbating the situation. The heavy rain transformed roads into gushing streams, parks into watery labyrinths and marketplaces into submerged realms.
The Yamuna river system's catchment covers parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
The low-lying areas near the river in Delhi, inhabited by around 41,000 people, are considered prone to flooding. Encroachments on the river's floodplain have occurred over the years, despite the land belonging to the Delhi Development Authority, the revenue department and private individuals.
The city's northeast, east, central, and southeast districts are most affected by floods in the city. A study on 'Urban Flooding and its Management' by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department identifies east Delhi under the floodplain region and highly vulnerable to floods.
The Yamuna breached the danger mark twice in September last year, with the water level reaching 206.38 metres.
In 2019, the river witnessed a peak flow rate of 8.28 lakh cusecs on August 18-19 and the water level rose to 206.6 metres. In 2013, it reached a level of 207.32 metres.
Natural disasters are gentle reminders by Mother Nature that if we litter the ocean and rivers with waste, it will come back, if we wipe out forests, there will be floods and if we cause pollution, there will be global warming.
A glaring example is the sight of a bridge, completely covered with tons of plastic waste, assumed to be from the flood-hit Himachal Pradesh. The summer capital of India is currently reeling under another spell of terrible flood and a river is ‘returning’ all the plastic that was thrown into it.
The horrifying video was first shared by IFS Parveen Kaswan and has been going viral since then. His caption reads, “Nature – 1, Humans – 0. River has thrown all the trash back at us.”
Nature - 1, Humans - 0.
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 11, 2023
River has thrown all the trash back at us. Received as forward. pic.twitter.com/wHgIhuPTCL
The video shows a bridge completely flooded with plastic bottles and other non-biodegradable wastes. The viral video has left netizens terrified who claimed that it was a ‘return gift’ from nature.
“River returning back the favour and all the plastic we gifted it. Plastic is forever,” commented a user while another user wrote, “Nature returning every last piece of crap we gave her.”
A third user wrote, “This is a message we see at every flood. Yet, no one changes. No improvement in the way we manage trash. Governments are not doing their job.”
A similar scene was seen last year in Palakkad during Kerala floods last year. For years, we have all been aware of the ill-effects of plastic use, the effects of plastic on rivers, oceans and marine life. But, despite years of harping against plastic use, things haven’t changed much.
Meanwhile, Northern India including the national capital New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh was battered by heavy rains, causing flooding and landslides that have left several people dead.
The scale of damages has been captured in visuals of bridges and houses being swept away and vehicles being swallowed by the gushing waters. Moreover, the Yamuna River in Delhi has breached the danger mark as the water level continues to rise.
The suffering of animals is no less than that of humans due to the relentless torrential rainfall. While several disturbing visuals of rain and flood wreaking havoc in North India have surfaced, recently, a video has surfaced in which two youths risked their lives to save dogs from the flood.
The video shows a flooded road and the water current seems to be high. Meanwhile, a youth runs into the flood water. As it seems, some creature is being swept away in the flood. The brave youth runs towards the creature. Meanwhile, another youth also joins him from behind.
The first youth picks up a street dog while the second youth picks up another. Both youths succeeded in saving the lives of street dogs while putting their lives at risk.
Such gestures of the youths prove that humanity is still alive and whatever may be the situation, they won’t stay behind from helping others in any situation.
The video shared on Instagram by Viral Bhayani has gone viral on social media and netizens are all hearts. Several users have thanked and praised the youths for their acts of humanity.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange alert' and predicted 'very heavy' to 'extremely heavy' rainfall across several districts of Assam over the next few days.
IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Guwahati has issued the warning for 24 hours from Wednesday, followed by a 'yellow' alert for Thursday and Friday.
'Orange' alerts imply to be prepared for action and 'yellow' alert stands for watch and be updated.
According to a flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), over 1,19,800 people are affected by the deluge in Baksa, Barpeta, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nalbari, Sonitpur and Udalguri districts.
Nalbari is the worst hit with almost 45,000 people suffering, followed by Baksa with over 26,500 and Lakhimpur with more than 25,000, it said.
The administration has been operating 14 relief camps in five districts, where 2,091 people have taken shelter, and running 17 relief distribution centres in five districts.
Army, paramilitary forces, National Disaster Response Force, SDRF, Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES), civil administrations, NGOs and locals have rescued 1,280 people from different places.
At present, 780 villages are under water and 10,591.85 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam, the ASDMA bulletin said.
Massive erosions have been witnessed in Baksa, Barpeta, Sonitpur, Dhubri, Dibrugarh, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nagaon, South Salmara and Udalguri, it said.
Incidents of landslides due to heavy rainfall were reported from places in Dima Hasao and Kamrup Metropolitan.
Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Sonitpur, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Chirang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, Udalguri, Dhemaji and Majuli.
Urban areas were inundated at many places across Barpeta, Darrang, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kokrajhar and Nalbari districts.
The Brahmaputra River's tributary Beki is flowing above the danger mark at three places, the ASDMA report pointed out.
Already battered by flash floods, the province lost communication with the rest of the country after overnight rains as the South Asian nation struggles to cope with the humanitarian disaster, The Express Tribune reported citing officials as saying.
The destruction of infrastructure and breakdown in communication links adds to the difficulties faced by the authorities in rescue and relief efforts in the region.
The air, road and rail networks in Balochistan are already suspended, cutting it off from the rest of the country.
"Due to torrential rains and flash floods in Balochistan optical fiber cable, voice and data services have been impacted in Quetta and (the) rest of the main cities of the province," the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) said on Twitter.
Efforts are being made to resolve this unprecedented situation, it added.
"Climate change disaster turned into a human disaster," The Express Tribun quoted Abdul Qaiyum, a resident, as saying.
"In Balochistan, the communication system has been cut due to optical fiber cable cut at more than three places," Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Syed Aminul Haq told The Express Tribune.
Instructions have been issued to PTCL officials to restore contact, Aminul Haq said.
Mobile and internet problems are also coming up in many areas of Sindh, said Aminul Haq.
Experts say that caused by climate change, heavy rains will keep wreaking havoc.
The government should take steps to avoid such incidents in future to ensure internet connectivity.
These days, it is common to come across scenes of patients receiving treatment on the verandah of the hospital and their relatives standing in queues for hours to receive services.
The burden on Capital Hospital has seen a sudden increase as it is receiving patients from Puri, Cuttack, Khordha and Nayagarh districts because it has been the referral hospital of these four districts. Besides this, capital dwellers too depend on this hospital.
Since the infrastructure at the hospital not being sufficient enough to cater to such a huge rise in the number of patients, the patients are being treated at the hospital verandah.
“It is 9.30 am now and I have been standing in the queue since 8 am. I don’t know how long I have to wait for my turn,” rued a patient who came from Kanas.
When contacted, Director of Capital Hospital Dr Laxmidhar Sahu said, “There has been an increase in the number of patients since last two days. Most of the patients are complaining of fever and headache. Since they have outnumbered the seats available, they are being treated on the verandah.”
Even today, thousands of families in Kanas block of Puri district are still marooned. Even if many of them are in the need of treatment, they are left with no option but to wait for the water to recede. There are ASHA workers who have medicine, but it is impossible on their part to visit door to door.
The pictures emerging from Banki area in Cuttack district are rather disturbing. After flood, people including children and elderly ones are complaining of skin diseases.
“My son is suffering from fever. I am taking her to Kanas hospital. He became sick after living in a waterlogged state for four to five days,” said a female resident of Kanas area.
Echoing the same plight, a female resident of Banki area said her son has developed itchy rashes after having been forced to bath in floodwater.
As of now, a common scene of people putting up makeshift tents with polythene sheets on either side of roads is emerging from different areas of the Bhogarai block.
Since their houses are still submerged in flood water, they have no alternative than to spend nights in tents with torn-polythene sheets stretched out over them.
In some places, people can be seen making their children sleep on thin clothes like saree or loin cloths spread out on the wet ground.
With the administration yet to come to their rescue, they said they have left everything at the mercy of the god.
“The administration hasn’t provided polythene sheets to us as yet. We along with our children are forced to live under torn polythene sheets. We feel sorry for our cattle as they are in open,” rued a flood victim.
As if the damage caused by the flood was not enough, now the rain has come to make our lives more pathetic. We are receiving only flatten rice. Only yesterday night, cooked food items were given to us, said an elderly woman.
Echoing the same, another flood victim Manmath Patra said, “We have no option but to spend days and nights in tents. The flood has left us nowhere. I have a pond where I was rearing fish. The floodwater has washed away them. Similarly, my vegetable crops have all been destroyed.”
Meanwhile, Engineer-in-Chief, water resources department, Bijay Mishra said the flood situation in the State has improved.
“Normalcy is returning in flood-affected areas. The water levels in Mahanadi and other rivers are on decreasing. As many as seven breaches have occurred in the Mahanadi system. The breaches are being repaired temporarily. Their permanent repair will be carried out in November,” said Mishra.
(Reported by Ajit Das and Balasore Bureau Chief Rashmi Ranjan Das )
Thinking of reconstructing their lives post-flood has become a herculean task for these people.
Besides, the flood has ruined crops raised on hectares of land by farmers. Vegetables grown in the farmland at Athagarh and Tigiria have been severely damaged due to the flood. Many farmers who have grown seasonal vegetables and paddy after taking loans have incurred huge losses due to the flood. They had availed loans for cultivation from cooperative societies and banks. After incurring losses, they are staring at uncertainty.
Farmers who had cultivated seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, snakebeans, okra, ridge gourd, cucumber, capsicum, beans, chillies, brinjal and onion are spending sleepless nights as floodwater is yet to recede from their farmlands. Brinjal farmers at Athagarh have raised brinjals on acres of land incurred heavy loss.
Meanwhile, farmers have requested the state government to waive off farm loans. Else, they have no other option but to commit suicide.
Premananda Biswal, a farmer, said, “For last 11 days, paddy crops have been submerged by floodwater. I have no idea how to repay the loan taken for paddy cultivation. I would urge the government to waive off the loan. Else, farmers like me would have to take an extreme step”.
Even though floodwater has receded at Kujang, Tirtol and Manijanga in Jagatsinghpur district and flood victims have returned to their homes, but they are yet to get an electricity connection for which they have to go to market to recharge their mobile phones.
A flood victim of Harirajpur said, “It is not wise to take shelter in others’ house for so many days. Though they cannot say but we can feel they are not comfortable with us. So, I am readying my place to come back.”
Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das’ statue erected at Dabhara village under Gop block is still marooned by flood by Dhanua river. Gopabandhu used to spend days here to help flood victims of neighbouring villages. More than 40,000 people of seven panchayats at Nimapara and Gop blocks have been deeply affected by flood. Lack of drinking water at these areas has added flood victims’ woes. Though the state government is distributing drinking water to the affected, it is not enough for them, said sources.
As it turns out, the teachers were forced to distribute certificates beside National Highway – 59 because parents of the students had locked the school protesting demand of money against certificates by then Head Mistress of the school.
As per the reports, the Head Mistress of the school, Sabita Satapathy, allegedly demanded money from students in exchange for certificates. When the parents knew about it, they came with the local Sarpanch, Block chairman and ZP member in a group and staged a sit-in locking the main gate of the school.
Speaking to OTV, a student, Ipriam Nayak, said, “The Head Mistress demanded Rs 100 from us in exchange of our Matric certificates. When we informed this to our parents they locked the school gate in protest.”
Though, Satapathy was nowhere to be seen after the agitation, the teachers were forced to distribute the certificates outside of the school along the highway as the students needed the same for admission in colleges.
The parents said they will not buzz until the Head Mistress is brought to justice for demanding money from the children.
The Sarpanch of Mundigad Gram Panchayat Jamita Mallick said, “The admissions for +2 is in its last legs and if they cannot get their certificates in time, students will lose a year.”
“At a time when the State government is tapping its own back for providing free education to poor, SC/ST students, it is really unfortunate for the Head Mistress to demand money in exchange of certificates which the students have earned by studying,” Mallick said.
Asked about the allegations, teacher Bichitra Chhatia who was distributing certificates in the open, said, “I do not know if the Head Mistress really demanded money. We are distributing certificates here because the parents have locked the school.”
In a related incidence, the teachers of Baikunthapur High School in Balasore’s Bhogarai block are forced to districute Matric certificates over a bridge after the school was flooded with a swelling Subarnarekha river.
As per reports, the school is now marooned in a 4ft deep water making it almost impossible to operate in present conditions.
Speaking to OTV, a teacher said, “The school is under 4ft-deep water. However, we have managed to safely transfer important documents, records and certificates to safe place. As the distribution of certificates is necessary for students to take admission in colleges, we are forced to do the same here at the bridge.”
Let’s not underestimate the power of flowing water, appealed Odisha SRC Pradeep Jena to the people today amid severe flood situation in some districts. SRC’s message came after several incidents of vehicles getting swept away in floodwater were reported. These visuals are from Balasore and Bhadrak which are reeling under severe floods.
In its election manifesto, the BJD had promised to convert all ‘kutcha’ houses into ‘pucca’ houses. But, the party is far from making good of its promise. Even today, lakhs of people are still living in kutcha houses, facing so many challenges, alleged the Opposition parties.
As per the information shared by the Panchayati Raj Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat in the House recently, 12,24,725 families are still living in ‘kutcha’ houses. Of them, a total of 21,239 families are in the list to get a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).
BJP General Secretary Prithviraj Harichandan alleged, “For a ‘pucca’ house, people have been waiting since 2019. They are living in pathetic condition during cyclones and flood. Not a single work order has been issued to them. Surprisingly, the ruling party doesn’t have the answer to the question why work order has not been given.”
“It is the common people who are the worst sufferers in the tussle between the State and the Central governments over awas yojana,” said Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati.
In its response to the allegations made by the saffron party and the grand old party, the BJD said the time is not appropriate to do politics over the issue.
“Villages are marooned. We are currently busy at rehabilitating the flood-affected people. It is an inopportune time to do politics. As of now, our top priority is to ensure how relief should reach to one and all and people stuck in flood should be rescued,” said BJD MP Munna Khan.
In many areas, with water standing for a week now, people fear that at any moment the walls may collapse on them. In Baliguda, hundreds of people on Saturday thronged to the tehsil office to get polythene sheets to pitch a tent as their houses have been damaged in the flood.
In Biramaharajpur of Sonepur district, a Zilla Parishad member Laba Kumar was seen prostrating himself at the feet of tehsildar, pleading for polythene sheet to be provided to flood-affected people.
Poisonous snakes can be found inside kitchens or bedrooms in submerged homes. As half of Odisha is battling the floods, at least five cases of snakebites have been reported, SRC Pradeep Jena informed.
“There is fear of more rainfall in the coming days due to the deep depression. We cannot ignore incidents like snakebites and scorpion attacks. Steps are being taken to avoid any such,” Jena said.
Earlier, a huge python was rescued after it was caught in a fishing net at Gadaharishpur village under Erasama block in Jagatsinghpur district. Similarly, there was another snake incident reported from Banki area.
Not just Erasama and Banki, poisonous snakes were spotted in floodwaters at Ayatpur village under Marshaghai block in Kendrapara district. People have been displaced and given shelter in relief camps.
Meanwhile, glut of snakes, scorpions and other insects were reported to have moved into people's homes. Returning residents are being urged to sift through their belongings using a stick. They are advised to be careful while entering their house.
“Snakes are entering our houses. We have caught many of them recently. We have no option left but to live among these venomous reptiles,” said a flood victim from Khordha district.
“People have complained of minor ailments like cough, fever and body ache etc in relief camps. At least 5,500 people have been provided treatment. Moreover, there were five snakebite incidents reported. But, the victims have been treated,” SRC Jena informed.
Speaking on the snake menace, health specialist Dr. Mrutunjay Mahapatra said, “We advise people to come to the hospital immediately after a snakebite instead of approaching quacks and local healers."
"Approach the ODRAF and NDRAF teams and come to the hospital immediately. Do not swim in the floodwater because the poison spreads after coming in contact with water," said Mohapatra.
“As per the IMD’s forecast, coastal areas of the state are likely to experience rainfall from today evening to August 20. North and western Odisha will also experience downpours on August 20 and 21. We are getting prepared for maximum of 55 mm rainfall. It is expected that by 21, the inflow into the Hirakud reservoir will be 5.5 lakh cusec and the water level would have come down to 621,” said Jena.
“There would be no problem in managing the flow of water in Mahanadi system. The amount of water flowing in the system would have reduced considerably,” Jena added.
“Since Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Keonjhar are likely to witness rains under the impact of depression, we are reducing water levels in the reservoirs in these districts. As the water level in the Rengali dam in Brahmani basin is at far low, more water can be stored there. So there would be no fear of flood in Brahmani river,” he added.
As of now, the inflow of water into Hirakud reservoir and outflow from the reservoir are 4,40,000 and 6,74,000 cusecs respectively. At present, the water level stands at 624.43 feet. Our efforts are on to reduce it to 622 feet. There will be a review meeting after 3 pm today and, there, a decision would be taken to close some gates, informed Jena.
A total of seven breaches have been reported. No new breach has been reported since yesterday. Even as water levels have reduced by two feet in most areas, in Kanas area, it will take some time, said Jena.
Sky-rocketing prices of vegetable have burnt a hole in the pockets of common people not only in Banki but also in different parts of the state after ravaging floods destroyed crops.
Farmers who have been cultivating seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, snakebeans, okra, ridge gourd, cucumber, capsicum, beans, chillies, brinjal and onion have incurred heavy losses as floodwater has submerged their farmlands. As fields were covered by floodwater, crops have almost entirely been destroyed. Fungal and pest attack on crop have worsened their loss.
Meanwhile, weeds being swept away from Anshupa lake owing to swelling Mahanadi River have added to farmers’ woes.
According to sources, villages like Kadalibadi, Malabiharpur, Ramachandrapur and Podapada under Banki block are known for yielding seasonal crops. Farmlands of these villages, however, had to bear the brunt of nature’s wrath and crops raised there have started rotting in submerged in water.
As crops raised by local farmers stopped coming to markets, people have to depend on vegetables being exported from West Bengal and other neighbouring states. And this led to a rise in vegetable prices.
According to data available from Cuttack Chhatra Bazaar Haat and Bhubaneswar Unit I Haat, green chillies are sold at Rs 150 per kilogram. Similarly, snakebeans is sold at Rs90-Rs100 per kg while okra, ridge gourd, brinjal, pointed gourd, spiny gourd are tomato are being sold at Rs 80, Rs 60, Rs 60-70, Rs 50-70, Rs 50 and Rs 40 respectively.
Patato and onion which are available at Rs 25-30 per kg may witness a rise in price in coming days, said sellers.
Meanwhile, OTV has captured a few dramatic visuals of the flood situation in some parts of the state. Let’s take a look...
The sheer impact of the flood this year can be ascertained from the submergence of Jharsuguda-based ancient Koilighugar temple. On Tuesday, a thrilling video emerged in various platforms showing how roaring floodwater cut through the temple premises making people awe.
The video shows the temple flooded with gushing water from upstream Ahira nullah of Hemagiri area in Sundergarh district. Half of the temple was also filled with floodwater.
It is learnt that this video was of two days old. However, now floodwater has receded from the temple.
In another incident, some locals of Nidhipurgada along with fire fighting officials dramatically saved a car from being swept away on Athagarh Puruna Cuttack-Sambalpur Road. They had a tough task to pull out the car from the flowing water. Four commuters inside the car had to spend four hours atop the car after it got stuck in floodwater. Later they were rescued by fire personnel.
Similarly, the temple of Baba Singhanath in Cuttack Badamba block got submerged by floodwater. The shrine was inundated due to rise of water level in Mahanadi River. Devotees, however, shifted the idol of the Baba Singhanath Shrine to a safer place so that the idol would not get submerged by floodwater.
In another visual, residents of Chasa Ara village under Athagarh were seen cooking food on the roof of their houses after the village got marooned by the Mahanadi floodwater.
This has led to the Mahanadi, its tributaries and other major rivers in Odisha flooding several districts and opening gates of misery for millions of people. Here are some pictures of the flooding situation from various parts of Odisha.
Several villages under Derabish, Marshaghai and Mahakalapada blocks in Kendrapara district get marooned by floodwater following the rise of water-level in Chotrotpala, Luna, Karandia and Paika rivers.
Mahanadi crosses danger mark of 97. 30 feet at Munduli. Around 160 lakh cusecs of floodwater being released to Mahanadi.
Swollen Hirakud dam: Water level in Hirakud Dam reaches 625 feet on Tuesday. By 8am, water level has reached to 625.39 feet.
Flood fury: Gushing water in the swollen Mahanadi triggered a 70-feet breach at Jaysankhapur and another breach at Badabalikani in Jagatsinghpur submerging Jilanasi, Madhapur and Badabalikani villages.
Many villages located at the lower catchments under Athagarh Banki block get inundated by floodwater.
Marooned & disconnected: Six panchayats in Jajpur district have been flooded after river Baitarani breached its embankments near Kani Nadibandha at Brahmacharipatna Dasarathipur.
Flood water enters in villages of Kanas block as Daya River in spate.
Due to the rise in water level in Mahanadi river nine villages under Tigiria block of Athagarh cut off from outer world.
Hectares of agricultural land get submerged in floodwater at Charigharia on Banki-Cuttack Road due to rise of water level in Mahanadi river.
Locals rescue an elderly person while being swept away in floodwater on Anandpur-Jajpur Town Road.
Incessant rainfall activities have unleashed floodgates of worries for people in many parts of the State.
While many villages remained cutoff due to flooding, bridges were washed away at several places.
Sea engulfs ancient temple in Satabhaya
Satabhaya village in Kendrapara district which is already suffering the brunt of the climatic change, on Sunday witnessed the havoc of the flood as high tides from the sea submerged the Maa Panchubarahi temple.
While the road connecting Baunsagarh to Satabhaya was washed away, the swelling sea has posed a threat to the 70 families residing there.
Earlier, as many as 571 families who were residing in Satabhaya, were rehabilitated at Bagapatia after the sea wiped out seven villages from the map of Kendarapara district.
Crocodile scare in Boudh
Panic gripped the residents of Harbhanga area in Boudh district amid flood threat after a giant crocodile was spotted in Mahanadi river in Ramagarh area.
One-and-half-month-old baby falls victim to flood water
In a tragic incident, a one and half month old baby died after falling into the rain water at Senapati colony in Khordha’s Balugaon area.
According to sources, the baby and her mother were sleeping when the rain water entered their house late last night.
The baby fell from the bed and drowned in the rainwater that had entered into the house. The baby was rushed to Balugaon hospital where doctor declared it brought dead.
2 injured as tree falls on auto rickshaw
A man and his son sustained critical injuries after a tree fell on an auto rickshaw in which they were travelling in near Haladia Tangi area under Town Police Limits in Keonjhar district. The mishap took place when the duo was on its way to district head quarters hospital.
On the other hand, a house reportedly collapsed at Mundasahi under Sadar block in the district. However, no causalities were reported in the mishap.
The dam is now discharging excessive water from the reservoir through 20 sluice gates.
Alerting the downstream areas, Sambalpur District Collector, Ananya Das said heavy rains at the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi river have made the Hirakud reservoir receive a lot of water which is being released now through 20 gates.
“Major populated areas near the dam are being alerted through sirening. It is usually done two hours before the gates are opened. We are also alerting the people through loud speakers urging them to come back from the downstream areas.” Das said.
She also urged people to not go to those areas as the velocity of the water would be very high.
Apart from Mahanadi, other rivers too received water as the low pressure induced rains made some rivers swell across the State.
Speaking to OTV, the Engineer-in-Chief (EIC) of the Water Resource Department, Bijay Kumar Mishra said, “Though there is rain over past few days, almost all the rivers are flowing below the danger level except for Jalaka river.”
As far as preparation for floods is concerned, the EIC said that the administration is ready for any eventualities.
“3.47 lakh cusecs of water is currently passing through Mundali barrage. This is hardly a threat. I think by the time the water from Hirakud reaches Cuttack, the current water flow caused by rains would have been depleted. So I do not think there will be any flood situation for now. However, we must remain alert.” Mishra said.