Flood hits Bhadrak again

Statesman News Service
BHADRAK, Sept. 23: Continuous and heavy rainfall has submerged Bhadrak and thrown normal life out of gear. All the roads in the town have become water logged due to lack of the drainage system. Major residential areas like Santhia, Kuansa, Nilakantha Nagar, Nangamahala, Bonth Chhak, Sankarpur, Charampa, Bagurai and Asthal in the town have become submerged. “The people of the town are habituated with the problem as the municipality has done nothing after several demands,” said Mr Divyasingh Nayak, a senior advocate.
The town has experienced 270 mm of rainfall in the last two days.
“We have deployed staff and pump-sets to discharge water from the low lying areas of the town,” said Mr Sasadhar Nayak, executive officer, Bhadrak municipality.
According to the district emergency office sources, the situation has become worse as the dam authority of the Hadgada water reservoir on the river salandi has given signal to discharge excess water.
The chief construction engineer of the irrigation department Mr Prasant Barik toured Bhadrak to supervise the situation.
He had a talk with the collector Mr Nalinikanta Verma regarding the discharge of water from the Hadgarh reservoir.
Sources said that the highest water level of the Hadgarh reservoir is 82.30 mt. Now the level is at 81.15 mt. “As the Salandi flows through Bhadrak town, the people residing in the low lying areas may face a deluge,” said Mr Nayak.
Similarly the Baitarani river, near Akhuapada is flowing above the danger level.
The people of Dhamnagar and the Bhandaripokhari blocks are facing floods for the fifth time this year.
Flood water has entered into 22 gram panchayats of the concerned blocks. The tehesildar and the BDO have been alerted by the district administration.
“We have directed them to keep a close watch on the situation,” said Mr Nalinikanta Verma, the collector. “We are ready to combat the situation,” he added.

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