A low-lying area of Balasore town under water on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Balasore, Aug. 21: The district administration of Balasore and Mayurbhanj have been put on high alert as the major rivers in the region are in spate.

The Subarnarekha is flowing above the danger mark near Rajghat and will swell further as 3 lakh cusec water has been released from the Chandeli dam of Jharkhand into the river, said an official of the water resources department.

The forecast, made by the Central Water Commission, warned that the water level would rise further by evening and could be alarming by midnight today.

The fear of flash flood is further aggravated as more rainfall is likely to take place during next 24 hours due to deep depression. Besides, the water discharge into the sea may also be affected as the sea is likely to swell owing to the full moon affect.

The Jalaka river of coastal Balasore is also flowing above the danger level near Mathani. Communications near Darada, Basta and Baliapal have been disrupted as the water is overflowing on roads.

On the other hand, the Budhabalanga river of the district has crossed the warning level but is flowing below the danger level. Several low-lying areas of Balasore have been suffering from inundation. The district administration is keeping a close watch over the flood situation and has rushed relief materials to the vulnerable pockets.

“One team of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force each has been dispatched to Jaleswar and Basta. Further two more teams are expected to arrive by the evening,” said Balasore district emergency officer Bithika Swain.

“We are keeping a close watch and asked all the concerned block development officers as well as the tehsildars to be vigilant,” she said.

In Mayurbhanj, around 30,000 people of 100 villages, mainly under four blocks — Bada Sahi, Rasgobindapur, Betnoti and Morada — have been affected. Residents of five wards of Baripada town have taken shelter in schools.

One casualty has been reported from Moroda block. One person drowned under the flowing rainwater while crossing a submerged road.

Mayurbhanj district collector Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said: “Around 30,000 people of nearly 100 villages have been affected due to the swelling rivers, especially the Budhabalanga. Two villages of Moroda block were marooned. The affected were evacuated.”