Flood situation in Balasore grim: CM

Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Balasore district due to heavy rainfall remained grim on Wednesday, affecting six blocks of the district, following which authorities evacuated around 2,000 people to safer places.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday conducted aerial inspection of the flood-hit areas of Balasore and held a meeting with officials of district administration.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling accompanied the Chief Minister during the aerial inspection and the flood review meeting in Balasore.Speaking to mediapersons in Balasore, Majhi said the flood situation arose due to torrential rains in Mayurbhanj district and neighbouring States of Jharkhand and West Bengal as well as in Balasore district, adding that the situation still remains grim.

The Chief Minister said during the aerial inspection of the affected areas by helicopter, he witnessed the severity of the situation which still remains critical.He said over 8,000 hectares of land remain inundated.Majhi also said that as today (Wednesday) is Purnima or the full moon day, high tidal waves in the sea hit the shoreline which is further delaying the draining out of flood water. Besides, 35 Gram Panchayats in three blocks are affected due to the flood and remain under water.

The Chief Minister told the media that the district administration has evacuated 2,000 people from the low-lying areas and the villages which have been inundated by flood water. “They are being provided with cooked food and other necessary items. As many as eight Fire Services department, three Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and one National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been engaged in rescue operations in the villages which were cut-off completely.

“The Collector and other officials of the district administration have kept the flood situation under 24 hours’ observation,” added Majhi.The Chief Minister said Odisha government is taking all the steps for controlling the flood in Subarnarekha and other rivers.

The Water Resources department has been directed to prepare a roadmap for a permanent solution to control the flood and release of flood water. The government will take steps after getting a report in this regard.The Chief Minister also said that the Chief District Medical Officer of Balasore has been instructed to take steps to deal with incidents of snakebites and waterborne diseases as post flood preventive measures. Meanwhile, sources in the Water Resources department said the water level of Subarnarekha river at Rajghat remained at 11.60 metres against the danger mark of 10.36 metres.