Two swept away in flash floods in North Odisha

Bhubaneswar: At least two people have been killed and 10,000 hectares of agricultural land have been affected in north districts of Odisha due to flash floods triggered by heavy rains in upper catchment areas.

In Mayurbhanj district, floodwaters have inundated large areas of villages. The badly hit blocks - Badasahi, Betanati, Rasagobindpur and Morada - in the district have experienced the worst flooding this year.

Similarly, low lying areas of Balasore district have been submerged under floodwaters as Subarnarekha and Jalaka rivers are in spate. At Rajghat, Subarnarekha is flowing at 11.86 metre which is well above the danger mark of 10.36 metre.

Sources said district authorities have released water from Chiplima Dam which also caused flash floods in the district. People of at least 20 villages of Baliapal and Bhogarai blocks were heavily affected due to the flash flood.

Several villages in Balasore district were still marooned due to the swelling rivers, forcing the state government to rush Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team, to help local authorities in rescue and relief operations.

The river Baitarani was also flowing above the danger level at Anandapur in Keonjhar district, sources said, adding that the authorities of the three districts have been put on alert to face the flood situations.