Odisha villagers suffer despite floodwater of Subarnarekha river receding 

The water level of the Subarnarekha river is gradually falling, but the misery of those affected by the flood continues to deepen. A total of 12 villages across five panchayats under Bhograi block remain submerged, impacting daily movement and leaving residents cut off from the outside world for the past three days.

According to sources, the sudden influx of water from Jharkhand caused the Subarnarekha river to swell. However, it is flowing below the danger mark now. The resulting flood submerged large areas in Bhograi, Baliapal, Basta, and Jaleswar blocks in Balasore district in Odisha. In response, local administration officials reportedly visited households and began evacuating residents.

Speaking from a flooded village in Bhograi, one resident shared, “I will leave this place, my house has been submerged, cattle swept away in the flood water. I have nothing left here, my farmland and cultivation got damaged too. Now, whatever help we will receive from the government will assist in our sustenance. We could not even walk on the village roads as the water level was so high, we left on boats.”

Another affected villager expressed his frustration, saying, “We are facing several difficulties, but clean drinking water is the biggest of them all. People who own motors, we are getting a bit of drinking water supply from them. All the crops and farmland got damaged as the water level suddenly rose and entered the village. We did not even receive any message or warning from the administration before the situation suddenly worsened. It has been three days since the situation has been like this.”

According to official sources, only dry food and drinking water have been provided as relief to the affected villages.