Bhubaneswar, 02 August (H.S.): The flood situation in Odisha showed significant improvement on Sunday, with water levels in major rivers receding and bringing relief to the worst-affected districts of Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Baleshwar, officials said.

Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief, Er. Dillip Kumar Rout, stated that no fresh rainfall has been reported in the river catchment areas, allowing inundated regions to gradually return to normal. He added that there is currently no threat of fresh flooding.

According to Rout, nearly two-thirds of the waterlogged areas have witnessed a considerable decline in water levels. The continued absence of rainfall is expected to further accelerate the drainage of floodwaters in the coming days.

Providing updates on river conditions, he said the Baitarani River at Akhuapada was flowing at 17.29 metres, below the danger mark of 18.33 metres. At the Anandapur Barrage, the water level stood at 34.66 metres against the danger level of 38.36 metres. Although a few gates have been opened, only around 1,000 cumecs of water is being released, which remains within safe limits and poses no flood risk.

In Bhadrak district, the Salandi River near Rajghat Bridge has receded to 12.60 feet, well below the danger level of 17 feet, indicating no flood threat in the basin.

Similarly, in Baleshwar district, the Jalaka River at Mathani Road Bridge was recorded at 6.10 metres, below the danger mark of 6.50 metres, with levels remaining stable. However, officials noted that water may take longer to fully recede in low-lying coastal areas such as Basta and Sadar due to recent high tides slowing the drainage process.

Rout further informed that only one gate of the Rengali Reservoir has been opened, releasing approximately 2,000 cumecs of water downstream, which is unlikely to create any flood-like situation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda