Over 170 villages flooded in Odisha, IMD issues heavy rain alert

Floodwaters continued to wreak havoc in north Odisha on Tuesday, 26 August, submerging more than 170 villages across Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of fresh heavy rainfall due to a new low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.

Officials said around 130 villages in Baliapal, Bhograi and Jaleswar blocks of Balasore district are inundated by the rising Subarnarekha river, while nearly 45 villages in Jajpur are under Baitarani floodwaters. Bhadrak’s Dhamnagar and Bhandaripokhari blocks have also been hit, along with parts of Keonjhar and Sundergarh districts.

“Jajpur district has been severely affected due to a breach on the Kani river embankment, a tributary of the Baitarani. I am visiting the flood-hit areas to review the situation,” revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said. He added that relief and rescue operations are in full swing, with thousands evacuated to relief camps and being provided with cooked food, dry rations, and cattle fodder.

In Sundergarh, a trailer truck was swept away while attempting to cross a bridge over the swollen Safei river in Sahajbahal. The driver, Sujit Aind, remains missing, though fire service personnel managed to rescue the vehicle’s helper. A search operation is underway.

As of Tuesday, the Subarnarekha river was flowing at 10.70 metres at Rajghat — above the danger mark of 10.36 metres — while the Baitarani at Akhiapada was nearing danger level. Other major rivers were reportedly in a receding trend.

Meanwhile, the IMD reported that a fresh low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast early on Tuesday morning. It is expected to intensify in the next 48 hours, bringing widespread rainfall.

The weather office has issued a four-day heavy rain alert for Odisha, warning of heavy to very heavy downpours on 26–27 August in districts including Gajapati, Rayagada, Nayagarh and Kandhamal. Thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30–40 kmph) have also been forecast for several districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Puri, Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Bolangir.

With PTI inputs