Rain rage wrecks life in South Odisha districts

BERHAMPUR: All the major rivers continued to swell as rains lashed South Odisha for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, pouring misery on residents.

Water level of Rushikulya, Badanadi, Ghodahada, Bahuda, Jorou and Lohorakhandi in Ganjam district and Vansadhara, Mahendratanaya and its tributaries in Rayagada and Gajapati touched the danger mark at several places on Wednesday evening.

The administration asked people residing near the banks of rivers to shift to safer places and remain alert. Several villages in R Udayagiri, Mohana, Nuagada and Gumma blocks of Gajapati remained cut off though the intensity of the rainfall decreased on the day.

The Gajapati district administration evacuated another 60 families from Raising village to safety and made arrangements to provide relief materials to the marooned villagers. Earlier on Monday, 500 families of hilly areas were evacuated.

Mohana town is still cut off from the outside world as rainwater is flowing over Atharanala bridge over Harabhanga river. No relief could be provided to the cut-off villages so far.

On the day, roads from Gangabada to Baraghar in Raigad block and Madaba to Mohana road were washed away, bringing communication to a grinding halt.

Similarly, Rayagada district officials visited the affected areas in Gunupur town where rainwater entered many houses. Revenue Divisional Commissioner (South) A Aao visited Patrapur block in Ganjam where road communication was snapped due to landslides at three places.

The administration has stepped up efforts to bring the situation under control in Sorada block where floodwater of Rushikulya and its tributaries washed away roads and culverts at various places. The road from Gopalpur to Chhatrapur has been submerged.

Most of the roads in Aska town are submerged under two ft water as Rushikulya and Badanadi are in spate. Normal life has been badly hit in Ganjam where many mud houses suffered damage due to rains.

Standing paddy and vegetable crops on vast tracts of land have been inundated due to the rain. However, the Agriculture department said there was no threat to crops as water from the fields would be released soon. On the day, an unidentified body was found floating in Badanadi river at Aska.