Kataka: With the Mahanadi river continuing to swell at Mundali, the Kataka district administration has stepped up flood preparedness measures and launched evacuations from vulnerable areas amid fears that the water discharge may rise further over the next few hours.
District Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said that around 8.20 lakh cusecs of floodwater is currently flowing through Mundali and the discharge could increase to nearly 10 lakh cusecs, posing a greater flood threat to low-lying areas across the district.
As a precautionary measure, nearly 4,000 people from vulnerable pockets of the Kataka, Banki and Athagada subdivisions are being shifted to safer locations by Friday night, Shinde added.
The district administration has planned continuous monitoring of the flood situation over the next 48 hours while intensifying preparedness measures.
Floodwater has already entered the Maa Bhattarika temple in Banki, while inundation has also begun in parts of Badamba, Tigiria and Athagada due to the rising water level in the Mahanadi.
The administration has issued a special alert for low-lying areas in Banki, Badamba, Salepur, Mahanga, Athagada and Kataka city. Evacuation of residents from flood-prone locations is already underway, with affected people being accommodated in cyclone shelters, schools and colleges converted into temporary relief centres.
To ensure swift response to any emergency, teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire Services and the Police have been deployed and kept on high alert for rescue and relief operations.
The district administration has urged residents of vulnerable areas to cooperate with evacuation teams and strictly follow official advisories as authorities continue to monitor the evolving flood situation.
