(From top) Mahanadi water enters Saraswati Sishu Mandir campus in Cuttack, villagers vacate their houses in Kendrapara following flood warning and a flooded bank premise in Sambalpur. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 9: The flood situation has worsened after the Hirakud dam authorities were forced to release more water into the Mahanadi river system following heavy rain in the upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh.

Several parts of Sambalpur city have been submerged by floodwaters rseleased from the Hirakud reservoir. Floodwaters were seen flowing over the Haradjor Nala bridge of the city.

An Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team has been pressed into rescue operation. “We have already opened 32 relief centres in Sambalpur. The people of the affected areas have been shifted to safer places. We have opened seven relief centres in Hirakud NAC and eight relief centres in Dhama gram panchayat,” said district collector Mrinalini Darswal.

The flood has taken a toll in the district headquarters town of Sonepur as water entered important establishments such as the BSNL office and the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) office as a result of which essential services such as pipe water supply, power supply and telephone service were disrupted in the town from last night. The district administration has asked people not to cross the bridge over Mahanadi in the town. Police have been deployed on both sides of the bridge to prevent entry of people or vehicles.

People from the low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places. People in Brahminpada and Malipada have left their homes as water entered the locality. Collector Gagan Bihari Swain said people of the town have been asked to remain alert as more water flow was expected in Mahanadi. With the help of country boats, people of eight villages in Birmaharajpur block were shifted to safer places. People from five villages in Binika block have also been rescued.

The flood in Mahanadi has caused extensive damage to Tikarapara tourist spot and large parts of Athmallick sub-division and about 40,000 people have been rendered homeless. The swollen river has inundated about eight villages in Tikarapara and forced about 5,000 people in nearby villages to flee and take shelter at hilltops.

The water has submerged the range office, public health centre and central water commission office.

“However, the flood has not affected the wildlife in Satkosia wildlife sanctuary. All the animals are safe,” said divisional forest officer of Satkosia division S.S.Mishra.

More than 1 lakh people in six blocks have been adversely affected by flash floods in the district. The affected areas include Athgarh, Banki, Banki-Dampada, Badamba and Narsinghpur. The flood has affected crops on 5,731 hectares in the affected six blocks.

District collector Girish S.N. said: “We are keeping a close watch on the situation and special teams have been sent to affected villages to speed up relief and rescue operations.” Two units of the ODRAF have been deployed at Banki and one in Athgarh keeping in view the additional release of floodwaters from Hirakud dam. Officials said that around 11-14 lakh cusecs of water is likely to pass through Munduli by today or tomorrow.

Flood threat is equally pronounced in neighbouring Jagatsinghpur district with rivers of the Mahanadi system such as Devi, Biluakhai and Paika in spate. The water level is flowing above the danger level in the strategic Daleighai embankment.

“The administration is maintaining a close watch on 42 breach-prone embankment spots in Tirtol, Balikuda, Erasama blocks.

Residents of at least seven vulnerable villages have been evacuated to safer locations. Measures are being taken on a war footing to deal with the situation,” said Jagatsinghpur collector Narayan Chandra Jena.

“People in riverside villages have prepared to face any eventuality. The administration is alert; people too seem extra cautious,” said district emergency officer Rudra Narayan Mohanty.

With major rivers of the Mahanadi river system steadily swelling and flowing above the danger level, large parts of Kendrapara district have been exposed to imminent flood. The authorities today have imposed restriction on transportation of ores to Paradip port through the express highway.

“As the highway could be used for temporary shelter by people in the event of flood, plying of ore-laden trucks on the highway has been prohibited. The port trust has also been asked to unload the ores expeditiously,” said Kendrapara collector Pradipta Kishore Pattnaik.

Panic has gripped the villagers in riverside hamlets along the Luna-Chitrotpala-Karandia deltaic region in Kendrapara district with the flood water showing signs of spilling out of the embankment at about a dozen of village locations.

“The threat of flood is more in Garadpur, Mahakalpada and Marshaghai blocks because of rising in the levels of the Luna, Karandia and Karadia rivulets of the Mahanadi river system. The administration is well-prepared to face exigencies,” said Kendrapara collector Pattnaik.