Balasore, Aug. 2: Heavy rain lashed the state on Saturday night, compounding the misery of residents in low-lying areas in the north of the district.
The rain was an effect of the cyclonic storm Komen.
Rising water of the Subarnarekha and rainwater from Bengal, coupled with incessant rain has paralysed life in the area.
Sarat Chandra Sahu, director of regional meteorology centre, said there had been reports of rain in the upper catchments of the Subarnarekha in the last 24 hours.
"The shower may continue for the next 24 hours," he said.
Official reports said 15 villages in north Balasore were underwater.
"The situation in the district is normal, except 15 villages of north Balasore that continue to be marooned. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams have been deployed," said district emergency officer T. Padmanabh Dora.
Minati Pala, 45, a resident of Chirakula of Bhograi said: "For about a week we are not able to come out of our house because of the flood."
Pritikanta Behera, who also lives in Bhograi, said: "Floods will strike us every year till the Subanarekha renovation project is implemented. Because of apathy of both the central and the state governments, it has not been implemented since 2003."
"We don't need relief; we need implementation of the project at the earliest," he said. The fresh spell of depression-triggered rain has panicked north Balasore who fear a return of the flood situation.
"There has been heavy rainfall due to cyclone Komen in certain places of Jharkhand, in the upper catchment of river Subarnarekha. If the rainfall continues, there may be another spell of flood, " Dora said.
In Jajpur, nearly 20 villages of Jajpur, Korei and Dasartsathapur blocks remained marooned for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday.
The villages are yet to get any relief.
"No relief has reached us even after five days of flood," said Kapilas Malik of Sathia Tikiri village of Jajpur block.
He said that no government official had visited the village despite being only six km away from the district headquarters.
District collector Satya Kumar Malik admitted that no relief has been provided to the flood victims.
