Rivers in spate in west, south Odisha

Times of India, June 15, 2013
BHAWANIPATNA/ KORAPUT/ BHUBANESWAR: Incessant rain has swelled Hati and Vansadhara rivers, cutting off at least three gram panchayats in Junagarh block and damaging hundreds of acres of farm land in certain parts of the state, especially Kalahandi. 

Official sources said on Friday said both rivers were flowing below the danger mark. "There is no flood situation anywhere in the state," special relief commissioner P K Mohapatra told TOI. 

In Kalahandi, heavy rain since Wednesday resulted in Hati river flowing about four feet water above a bridge, disrupting National Highway-201 and leaving commuters and vehicular traffic stranded. Roads connecting Junagarh to Dharmagarh and further to Nabarangpur, Koraput, Nuapada and neighbouring Chhattishgarh were disconnected. Due to stone sliding at some places, the Singharighat road from Kalamur to Thuamul-Rampur was affected. Thuamul-Rampur block recorded 310 mm rain, followed by Kalamur (240 mm), Junagarh (215 mm) and Jayapatna (204 mm). 

The water level over Hati bridge started receding as heavy rain stopped on Friday morning at Junagarh, officials said, adding, it will take a day to before commuters could cross the bridge. The administration has blocked both sides of the bridge to avert any untoward incident. 

Collector (Kalahandi) Govinda Chandra Sethi said the roads will be cleared on Saturday morning as the gates of Indravati reservoir have been closed. The gates were opened day on Wednesday following heavy rainfall. 

Fears of flash floods, however, receded in Koraput district with rain lessening its intensity. On Friday, the southern Odisha district registered an average of 109.9 mm rainfall as against the district's average rainfall of 157 mm on Thursday and Wednesday. Kotpad recorded the highest of 219 mm rain. "The situation would have gone beyond control if the intensity of rain would not have decreased. With the decrease in rainfall there is no flood situation in the district," said district emergency officer (Koraput) Ramesh Pradhan. 

Train services, which was disrupted between Koraput and Rayagada on Thursday following a landslide and had blocked tracks at Lilligumma, about 70 km from Koraput, resumed after railway authorities cleared the blockades. The Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express and Koraput-Rourkela Inter-city Express were cancelled on Thursday due to the landslide which was triggered by incessant rain that has been lashing the southern districts for the past few days. 

In Rayagada, the situation improved with the district experiencing less rain. Officials said, water level in Bansadhara, Nagabalia and Jhangabati rivers have receded. Water at Bansadhara at Gunupur had touched 83 metres against its danger level of 84 metres on Thursday. "There is no fear of a flood in Rayagada as a decrease in rainfall has been recorded. There is no report of any loss of property or causality. Road communication has not been hit," said collector (Rayagada) Sashi Bhusan Padhi.