BHUBANESWAR: Even as flood situation continues to be grim in Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers, eight human causalities and one missing case have been reported from five flood-affected districts.While official sources confirmed two deaths in Jajpur district, unofficial sources put the figure at four. Sarpanch of Bari gram panchayat Biranchinarayan Sahu (35) died of snakebite while one Laxmidhar Sahu of Korei area has gone missing, Jajpur District Collector Anil Samal told this paper. Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj district have reported one death each. The district headquarters town of Jajpur and the entire Bari block are totally cut- off. While the Rudhia bridge on Budha river linking Jajpur town with the NH-5 caved in disrupting the main road link, the other approach road is overflowing with floodwater from Kharasrota river, Samal said and added more than 20,000 marooned people have been evacuated to safer places. As essentials could not be supplied to Jajpur town and and flood-affected villages of Bari block, prices of all commodities have shot up, he said. The Government decided to airdrop cooked food in the flood-affected areas of Jajpur districts as opening of free kitchens was not possible. Three helicopters are being used to airdrop relief materials and the Centre has provided another three (MI-17s) engaged in anti-Naxal operations in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. As water level in Brahmani system is rising at Jenapur, Water Resources Secretary SC Mohapatra said it will take another 36 hours or more for the floodwater to recede. While 38 motorised boats are pressed into service in Jajpur district, the Government on Saturday engaged another 24 ODRAF boats for rescue and relief operations. More than 15 lakh families in 2,362 villages under 510 gram panchayats are affected and standing kharif crops on one lakh hectares submerged under floodwater in the eight districts including Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj. Nearly 59,000 affected people are evacuated to safer places and free kitchens operating in 126 places. In Brahmani river system, floodwater is rising and the water level at Jenapur is flowing above the danger mark of 23 metres. While water level is falling in Subarnarekha river at Jamsolaghat, it is rising at Rajghat. However, water level is falling in Budhabalanga, Baitarani and Bamsadhara rivers. With nine gates opened in Hirakud reservoir, over two lakh cusecs of water is entering into the dam which is discharging 1.69 lakh cusecs.
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