Flooding in several northern Odisha districts threatened to worsen on Friday as heavy rain pushed up river levels, inundated villages and farmland, disrupted road links and forced residents to take shelter on rooftops and embankments.
The Telkoi-Jagamohanpur road was cut off after water from the Hanumantia canal rose to about three feet over the road near the Kenduleaf Office, disrupting connectivity between Telkoi and Jagamohanpur and access to National Highway 49. Five blocks of Balasore district were affected by heavy rain, while parts of Baripada town in Mayurbhanj were flooded as the Budhabalanga rose, with water entering wards 7 and 8. “It is very likely to move northwestwards across Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand during next 24 hours. Under its influence, heavy rainfall will occur in part of North Odisha till August 17 and a few districts of Western Odisha till August 15,” said Manorama Mohanty, director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.
In Keonjhar, heavy rainfall disrupted road communication in Telkoi block, with floodwater flowing over bridges and roads at several locations. The latest rainfall has also affected other parts of northern Odisha. Torrential rain also flooded roads in Shamakhunta block, prompting the district administration to begin evacuation operations.
The IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rain in parts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh and Sambalpur on Friday, with heavy rain also expected in Balasore, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Boudh, Nuapada and Balangir. Further heavy rainfall was forecast in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Nuapada and Balangir on Saturday.
