Rains affect 20 lakh people in 11 districts of Odisha, 4 human causalities have been reported

Bhubaneswar: Over 19.53 lakh people of 2,789 villages in 53 blocks and 14 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) of 11 districts have been affected due to the incessant heavy rains since Sunday, said the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC).

The districts are Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Cuttack, Jajpur, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Dhenkanal, Khordha and Angul.

SRC Pradeep Jena said that while the highest quantum of rainfall of 500 mm was reported from three blocks in Puri district, Nabarangpur district had the lowest amount of rainfall.

The Government said it has evacuated 3,819 persons from low-lying areas in five affected districts while 265 houses have been damaged in nine districts.

Highest 11.36 lakh people have been affected in Jagatsinghpur district followed by 7.79 lakh in Kendrapada, over 15,000 in Puri, 10,000 in Kandhamal, 8,000 in Jajpur and 2,500 in Cuttack.

As per the report, 1,590 persons have been evacuated in Jagatsinghpur followed by Puri (1,584), Kendrapada (532), Cuttack (106) and Kandhamal (7). Major rivers in the Sate are in spate following the rains. The water level in the Mahanadi at Naraj, Devi (Alipingal), Ib (Sundargarh), Kushabhadra (Nimapada), Brahamani (Panposh and Jenapur), Baitarani (Anandpur and Akhuapada), Subarnarekha (Rajghat), Vansadhara (Gunupur) and Rushikulya at Purusottampur were rising.

The Jalaka river was flowing at 05.60 metres at Mahtani against the danger level of 05.50 metres. The Water Resources department has cancelled leaves of all employees in view of the heavy rains.

However, the SRC denied any possibility of flood situation in the State.

All the schools in Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Subarnapur and Bargarh districts were closed for two days on September 13 and 14.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deep depression over north coastal Odisha moved further west-northwestwards and lay centred close to Keonjhar.

It is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards across north Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh during next 48 hours and weaken into a depression during subsequent 12 hours, the IMD added.

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