Mahanadi rising high alert sounded

Bhubaneswar, Aug 31 (UNI) At least 160,000 people with 5,789 houses suffered extensive damage following surging of Mahanandi and its tributaries even as the Orissa government sounded further alert to combat possible flood in other districts of the state.

''Flood situation has occurred in Mahanadi system due to heavy downpour over the past week at upper and lower catchments and its tributaries which is likely to affect at least 10 of the state's 30 districts'', state chief secretary Subhash Pani told reporters here.

Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khurda, Kendrapara, Kandhamal, Boudh, Bolangir, Subernapur and Nayagarh are likely to face wrath of flood, official sources said.

Mr Pani said the Punjab Regimental Centre at Ramgarh has been contacted to remain in readiness for deployment of Army with boats if situation needed.

The rivers are flowing above danger level since yesterday at Naraj delta.

Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Jagadananda Panda said senior state officials have already been camping different areas to oversee rescue and relief operations. Dry food and cattle feed were dispatched to the areas as stranded people were evacuated, Mr Panda said. Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) from Koraput and Chatrapur have been stationed at Cuttack and Puri respectively to facilitate relief work.

Mr Panda said besides Mahanadi, three other rivers - Kathjori, Kushabhadra and Devi - are flowing close to their danger marks near Bellevue, Nimapara and Alipingal respectively.

Meanwhile, the Kendrapara district administration today imposed prohibition on plying of ore-laden trucks on the National Highway-5 (A) to Paradip port from mining areas of Jajpur and Keonjhar districts in view of impending high flood in the riverside villages.

''We are compelled to clamp this sort of prohibition for smooth operation of relief and rescue operation through this vital road link that has connectivity with susceptible villages, '' Kendrapara district Collector Mr Jyoti Prakash Das said.

The all-important NHs have already become a safe shelter with people in anticipation of the deluge already congregating since Thursday.

All the educational institutions including the colleges of the district were declared closed from today till 6 September.

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