Chief Minister reviews flood-like situation; offices to work Sunday for emergency
Bhubaneswar: In view of the unprecedented rainfall across the state and the consequent disruption of normal life, a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday reviewed the flood-like situation at many places and ordered provision of relief measures in the affected areas and discussed ways to gear up official machinery.
Soon after the meeting, Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi said, “In the wake of heavy rainfall across Odisha due to cyclonic circulation, Chief Minister Friday reviewed the situation at the state Secretariat here.”
The state Government has also instructed all government officials in 30 districts to attend offices Sunday and keep them open in order to attend to people’s problems in view of the flood-like situation in the state, Sethi told reporters.
Patnaik, who took stock of the situation in the day, asked the district collectors to move people from the flooded areas, if required, as the state “maintains a policy of zero casualty”. He also directed authorities of the Urban Development Department to ensure that the waterlogging problem was resolved at the earliest with the use of pumps. Schools in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri remained closed today due to rainfall.
Cuttack city has recorded a rainfall of 211 mm during the period. Around 16 blocks of Odisha have experienced rainfall above 200 mm, Sethi stated. He further stated that the low pressure-induced rain has led to a flood-like situation in Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts.
Sources in the special relief commissioner’s (SRC) office said people in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and the holy town of Puri were grappling with waterlogging problems since Friday.
The officials indicated that pumps will be used to drain out water in water-logged areas in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar cities. Adequate number of pumps will be pressed into service at various places. Affected people in the marooned areas will be provided with cooked food. Cuttack district administration has arranged cooked food for about 16000 people in the city. “Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also arranged supply of cooked food for the marooned people,” said the SRC sources.
In Bhubaneswar, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) personnel and fire-service teams have been deployed to deal with waterlogging issues at Jaydev Vihar, Nayapalli, Acharya Vihar and Jaydurganagar areas, he said.
In Cuttack, at least 181 pumps have been engaged to flush out rain water. Additionally, a sluice gate has been opened to release water of Kathajodi River, officials said. A team of ODRAF personnel has been deployed in the city to assist the marooned people and deliver food to them, they added.
On the flood-like situation, the SRC said, “We are keeping a close watch on the water level in the main rivers. Water in all of them are flowing under the danger mark. Even though the water level in Jalaka, Rushikulya, Nagavali, Brahmani and Baitarani is rising, all of them are flowing below the danger mark.”
Hydro-power generation at some places has been affected due the deluge. Power generation at Balimela in Malkangiri district and in Kalahandi district has been disrupted.
The SRC sources said, Owing to flood-like situation, the Chief Minister directed deployment of 317 fire service teams and all the ODRAF teams at different places in the state. Patnaik also ordered the “police personnel to be on high alert.”
At least two people were killed in Raygada district Saturday morning when a wall collapsed on them due to the rainfall, official sources said. The incident comes a day after seven people died due to lightning strikes in Mayurbhanj and Balasore.
PNN