Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha continued to improve on Sunday as water levels in the state’s major rivers receded, bringing relief to the flood-hit districts of Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Baleshwar, Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Er. Dillip Kumar Rout said.
With no fresh spell of rain reported over the affected river catchments, the Engineer-in-Chief said inundated areas are gradually returning to normal, and no fresh flood threat is anticipated.
He also stated that nearly two-thirds of the waterlogged areas have witnessed a significant fall in water levels. The absence of rainfall, he said, is expected to accelerate the recession of floodwaters in the coming days.
Providing an update on the river situation, Rout said the water level in the Baitarani River at Akhuapada stood at 17.29 metres, below the danger mark of 18.33 metres. At the Anandapur Barrage, the water level was recorded at 34.66 metres against the danger level of 38.36 metres. Although a few gates of the barrage have been opened, only around 1,000 cumecs of water is being released, which is well within safe limits and poses no flood risk, he said.
The Engineer-in-Chief also said the water level in the Salandi River near Rajghat Bridge in Bhadrak has receded to 12.60 feet, comfortably below the danger level of 17 feet, indicating that there is no flood situation in the river basin.
In Baleshwar district, the Jalaka River at Mathani Road Bridge was flowing at 6.10 metres, below the danger mark of 6.50 metres, and the level remained steady. However, Rout said floodwaters may take longer to recede completely in the Basta and Sadar areas as they are located close to the sea. High tides over the past two days have slowed the drainage of excess water.
He further said only one gate of the Rengali Reservoir has been opened, releasing around 2,000 cumecs of water downstream. The discharge, he added, is unlikely to create any flood-like situation in downstream areas.
Overall, the flood situation across the state is stabilising. Authorities are closely monitoring river levels, while relief and restoration work continues in the affected districts.
