TV
In a heart-stopping rescue in Jajpur district on Monday, a 23-day-old baby girl, stranded in the rising floodwaters, was saved by the brave ODRAF team of Cuttack’s 6th Battalion. The ordeal unfolded in Ahiyas village under Kaspa panchayat, where sudden surging waters marooned several families, leaving them cut off and desperate for help
In the midst of the gushing floodwater, a house lay at the risk of immediate submergence or collapse. The ODRAF team was informed by locals that a newborn was trapped inside, along with her family.
Responding swiftly to distress calls, the rescue team reached the spot with rafts and safely evacuated the infant along with her family to higher ground. Officials confirmed that both the child and her family are now safe.
Breach in Kani River Embankment Triggers Flood
The baby’s rescue comes against the backdrop of worsening flood conditions in Jajpur. Earlier in the morning, a 20 to 30-foot-wide breach was reported in the embankment of the Kani River, a distributary of the Baitarani, near the Muslim Sahi dargah close to Ahiyas-Kaspa under the Dasarathpur block.
The breach occurred around 4:50 am following heavy overnight rainfall. With the Baitarani river flowing above danger level, strong currents battered the embankment, leading to its collapse and allowing water to surge into villages.
Villages Inundated, Families Displaced
Floodwaters have now submerged large parts of Ahiyas, Mallikapur, Kaspa, and Mahanti Patana panchayats, leaving many villages cut off. Houses and agricultural lands lie inundated under several feet of water. Locals reported that the breach widened quickly, flooding farmlands and threatening additional settlements downstream.
The Jajpur district administration said disaster response teams are on continuous deployment, and efforts are underway to plug the breach. However, officials admitted that strong water currents are making repair work difficult.
