Jajpur: The flood situation in the district continues to be grim with the Baitarani flowing above its danger mark at Akhuapada since Thursday.
The river was flowing at 18.48m against a danger mark of 17.83m at Akhuapada on Saturday evening. The water level in the river was steady till last reports came in.
Though the district did not receive any rain since Friday, flood water from the Baitarani is yet to recede, affecting nearly 30,000 people in at least nine panchayats under two blocks of the district.
While around 30 villages in seven panchayats of Dasarathpur block have been affected, five villages under two panchayats of Korei block have also gone under water.
"These areas are only inundated and the people face no immediate danger," official sources said.
The road connecting Bhandaripokhari and Jajpur has also gone under, another road connecting Panikoili and Amrutia has flood water flowing on it, sources said.
Besides, communication in many parts of Dasarathapur block has been snapped as several roads in various gram panchayats have been flooded.
Sources said several villages in Kamardihi, Kainya,Dharampur, Biripata, Jafarpur and Patapur panchayats of Dasarathapur block also remain waterlogged.
Water from the Baitarani has submerged paddy and vegetable crops on hundreds of acres in Dasarathapur and Korei blocks.
Holidays of government employees in the district have been cancelled on September 8 and 9 and close vigil is being kept on the situation. Special Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed in the blocks, said Jajpur collector Ranjan Kumar Das.
Flood water gushed into the Kainagola Primary Health Centre and Kainagola Nodal High School on Friday. As a result, health services and education in the areas have been completely disrupted.
"Though some villages remain waterlogged, the people face no immediate danger," the collector said.
The district administration has already evacuated people from Kantitar village and sheltered them at Kuanla High School in Dasarathapur, official sources said, adding two free kitchens had been opened in two schools in Biripata panvchayat of the block.
