Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has cautioned that parts of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts may face a minor flood situation as heavy rainfall across the state pushes the Baitarani River’s water level up.
Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department, Dillip Rout, said the state has recorded rainfall above the seasonal average, which has contributed to the rising levels in the river.
He noted that low-lying pockets in Jajpur are most vulnerable if the water continues to rise at the current pace.
According to department projections, the Baitarani at Akhuapada is likely to breach the danger mark around 4 pm on Monday. Officials expect floodwater to enter low-lying areas of both Jajpur and Bhadrak, with Akhuapada and adjoining villages likely to be the worst affected.
Rout, however, said there is no threat of a major flood for now. He added that most of the state’s major reservoirs have adequate storage and are not a cause for concern at the moment.
On Hirakud Dam, he clarified that no decision has been made yet on releasing water through the gates.Authorities have asked district administrations in the affected areas to stay on alert and monitor vulnerable points along the riverbank.
The Water Resources Department reported that the Mahanadi and Baitarani river basins received the highest average areal rainfall in the state today.
According to the data, Lower Mahanadi recorded the maximum Average Areal Precipitation at 75.1 mm, followed closely by Upper Mahanadi with 72.8 mm. In the Baitarani basin, Lower Brahmani logged 62.7 mm and Baitarni sub-basin recorded 56.1 mm.
Other basins saw moderate to light rainfall. Budhabalang received 35.4 mm, Upper Brahmani 32.1 mm, Rushikulya 28.4 mm, while Subarnarekha and Vamsadhara recorded 26.3 mm and 26.2 mm respectively. The lowest rainfall was reported in Sabari of the Godavari basin at 17.6 mm and Nagavali at 15.2 mm.
