Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Tuesday reviewed the flood situation in the state and assessed the preparedness measures being taken by the government to tackle the crisis. Chairing a meeting at Raj Bhavan, the Governor urged the Revenue and Disaster Management Department to remain vigilant and ensure zero casualties in the affected districts.
Kambhampati commended the state government’s efforts to safeguard lives during floods, stressing that “the best thing we can do is to prioritise human life.” He called for proactive steps to protect vulnerable populations and appreciated the department’s dedicated service in providing relief and essential assistance.
Senior officials, including Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Special Relief Commissioner Deo Ranjan Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Governor Roopa Roshan Sahoo, Additional SRC Manish Agrawal, and senior engineers from the Water Resources Department, briefed the Governor on the ground situation. They provided updates on flood-hit districts such as Balasore, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, and Sundargarh, besides detailing monitoring systems, advisories, deployment of disaster response forces, and arrangements for shelters and relief.
During the discussion, the Governor suggested adopting long-term measures to mitigate recurrent floods. He proposed diverting surplus water into nearby village tanks through barrages to aid irrigation and reduce flood risks.
He also highlighted the benefits of interlinking river basins across states, noting that excess water from flood-prone areas could be redirected to deficit regions. Such an initiative, he observed, would help recharge groundwater, support irrigation, ensure drinking water supply, and strengthen rural livelihoods.
Kambhampati further emphasized the need for a strategy paper and periodic studies on interlinking and intralinking of river systems. Minister Pujari, in his remarks, assured that the department was maintaining round-the-clock vigilance and praised the commitment of officials and field staff in addressing the crisis.
