Sharmili Mallick

Sonepur: With the intensification of a low pressure area over Bay of Bengal, incessant and heavy rainfall lashed many parts of Odisha including Sonepur where excess rainwater has triggered a flood-like situation on Wednesday.

Several areas in Birmaharajpur, Ulunda and Sonepur blocks of the district have been marooned by floodwater hitting normal life.

Vehicular communication has been hit as floodwater continues to flow 3 feet above Raksa canal.

Residents of Paikbahal village under Tarbha block of the district have been cut off entirely due to floodwater inundation.

Floodwater gushed into a mutt near Raksa chhak after rise in water level in Raksa canal. Three sadhus living in the mutt were reportedly rescued by the fire services personnel.

Similarly, torrential rain since yesterday has also triggered flood-like situation in Krushnapali village of Birmaharajpur block and Puleswar village of Ulunda block. Cultivation in hundreds of acres of land in the region has been inundated by floodwater raising apprehensions of crop damage.

Keeping in view the increasing water level in the upstream, four gates of Hariharjor Dam in Birmaharajpur block were opened in the morning to discharge excessive floodwater.

Sources said, the district administration is yet to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected villages.

The State weather department has forecast heavy rainfall and issued orange alert for several districts in next two days in view of Low Pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal & adjoining north Odisha West Bengal.

The weatherman has asked the administrations of Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Bolangir, Kandhamal, Puri and Ganjam districts to stay prepared for heavy to very heavy rainfall activity.

It has also predicted heavy rainfall for isolated places over the districts of Nayagarh, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Bargarh and Cuttack today.

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