Flood threat as Jalaka river breaches danger mark in Balasore in Odisha

BALASORE: Residents of low-lying villages in five panchayats of Balasore Sadar and Basta blocks are in a panic as the Jalaka river is flowing above six metres against the danger mark of 5.5 metres at Mathani since Sunday morning.

The villagers are anticipating yet another flood as the river has swelled up due to incessant rains for the last couple of days. This apart, the water level of the Jambhira and Sana rivers in Mayurbhanj district too has gone up giving rise to fear of flood in Morada, Chitrada, Rasgovindpur, Suliapada and Station Amarda in Balasore.

Though rainwater has not yet reached the low-lying areas, people are concerned as the flood last month caused widespread damage to crops and property. Anirudh Singh of Mathani gram panchayat said if the water level of Jalaka does not recede in the next two days, it can flood the villages.

“We have been demanding a permanent solution like construction of embankments on both sides of the river with stone packing. The sediment points which are obstructing the flow of water in the river should be cleared by the department concerned to prevent flood,” he said.

District emergency officer Rizwana Kawkab said even as the water level of Jalaka river has already crossed the danger mark, Subarnarekha and Budhabalanga are flowing within limits. The water level of the Subarnarekha river is 5.13 metres against the danger mark of 10.36 metres at Rajghat in Jaleswar block. Similarly, Subarnarekha is flowing at 44.86 metres at Jamsola Ghat against the danger level of 49.16 metres. The water level of the Budhabalanga river was 5.62 metres against the danger mark of 8.13 metres.

The district has received 721 mm of rain in the last 24 hours across all 12 blocks. While Remuna received the highest 97 mm rain, it was 80 mm in Bahanaga, 74 mm in Balasore, 73 mm in Khaira, 58 mm each in Bhograi and Jaleswar and 56 mm in Simulia.

The vulnerable areas may get flooded if gates of reservoirs are opened to discharge excess water. The district administration is on alert to tackle any eventuality, said Kawkab. The recent flood in Subarnarekha, Jalaka and Budhabalanga rivers had damaged crops over 8,070 hectares of land in Basta, Baliapal, Bhograi and Jaleswar blocks.