Incessant rain paralyses parts of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Heavy rain wreaked havoc in many parts of Odisha on Monday, throwing normal life out of gear. While many bridges were washed away by flood water, a few approach roads collapsing with flood-like situation in other areas has crippled the lives of thousands of people.

Owing to the heavy showers in the past two days, many parts of Puri district including Astaranga, Gopa, Kakatapur blocks have been flooded with rain water. As a result, more than thousand people from Chhenu, Chandahar and Udayakani villages have remained trapped in the flood water.

The locals here have alleged that Keluni firth in the coastal area of Astaranga has been fully covered because of which water in the area doesn't drain out into the sea.

However, Astaranga Tehsildar after reviewing the situation assured that steps will be taken to bring a solution while the estuary will also be opened.

Meanwhile in Kandhamal district, a bridge near Ranipath Ghat in Phulbani was washed away due to the heavy downpour. Similarly, the approach road of another under-construction bridge here collapsed due to which communication between Phulbani and Boudh has been disrupted.

In another incident, an under-construction railway bridge over Jonk River near Odisha-Chhattisgarh border also collapsed due to incessant rain.

Also Read: Twin city denizens battle flooded roads, houses

Even the twin city denizens were not spared as they too had a tough time reaching their destinations with continuous rain inundating several low lying areas in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) also announced a helpline number to address complaints on situation arising due to inundation. "People can call up the helpline number 0674-2430038 and ask for discharge of water in submerged areas,” a senior BMC official informed on Monday.