Continuous rainfall in various parts of Odisha on Sunday—especially the Balasore district—have triggered a flood-like situation, after water levels rose alarmingly in the upper catchment of the Subarnarekha river, as well as in the Baitarani river at Akhuapada in Bhadrak.
At Rajghat, the Subarnarekha's water level had reached 10.48m by 7 AM, exceeding the danger level of 10.36m and the warning level of 9.45m, as per an OdishaTV report.
Officials attributed this surge to heavy rainfall in Jharkhand and increased water release from the Galudih barrage, in addition to Odisha's own rainfall.
In the past five times that the Subarnarekha has overflowed, it has been various swathes of Jaleswar, Baliapal, and Bhograi that have been severely impacted, leading to crop losses, waterlogged houses, and multiple rounds of evacuation in a number of villages in these districts.
Similarly, at Bhadrak, the Baitarani's water levels touched 18.42m, crossing its danger mark of 18.33m, the report added. Officials have attributed this surge to upstream inflows.
The overflowing of the Baitarani presents dangers to various parts of Chandbali and Dhamnagar, which is extremely prone to flooding. As a result, these areas continue to remain on high alert.
According to the India Meteorlogical Department (IMD), rainfall across the state is said to intensify later this week—particularly from August 25-27. Heavy rainfall has also been predicted for most parts of the state later this week, with some parts in the north—such as Bargarh, Keonjhar, and Sundergarh—set to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in addition to gusty surface winds at speeds of 30-40km/h.
