Bhubaneswar: The deep depression has already touched land near Digha and is likely to cross Odisha by tomorrow afternoon, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena.
Briefing reporters, Jena said that rain will continue tonight, all BDO’s, tahasildars in the districts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore and Bhadrak have been instructed by Collectors to monitor rain on an hourly basis and send reports accordingly as well.
The SRC further informed that ODRAF, NDRF and Fire Service teams deployed in Mahanadi basin districts of
Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, and Khordha have been withdrawn and relocated to Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Balasore and Bhadrak.
He said that some of these teams have reached their destinations and others will be reaching by midnight. If a rescue operation is required they will undertake that, he added.
Sharing details of the relocation of these teams the SRC said that 1 ODRAF, 1 NDRF and 4 Fire Service teams have been despatched for Mayurbhanj district while 2 ODRAF, 2 NDRF and 4 Fire Service teams have been despatched to Balasore district; 2 NDRF, 2 OdRAF 6 Fire Service teams have been despatched to Bhadrak district; 1 NDRF, 2 Fire service teams despatched to Keonjhar; 1 NDRF, 1 ODRAF and 2 additional Fire Service teams have been dispatched to Jajpur district in view of possible flood in river Baitarini.
Four reserve units have been kept at Munduli, and 2 at Cuttack, he said and that these are to be rushed to places if the need so arises.
Jena informed that currently, only 20 sluice gates of Hirakud reservoir are open and the reservoir level at 8 PM today was 608.58 feet while inflow into the reservoir is 2,73,000 cusecs and outflow is 3,50,000 cusecs.
He said that by tomorrow evening discharge through Munduli barrage is expected to be around 8,50,000 cusecs after that repair of breaches in the embankments will be taken up on a war footing basis. He said that the Water Resources department is already mobilizing materials for repairing of of the 6-7 breaches that occurred.
