Orissa submits report on flood to PMO

The devastating floods triggered by torrential rains continued to play havoc in the state with the official death toll rising to 22 and water levels at the Mahanadi and Baitarani rivers remaining perilously close to the danger level though top state officials maintained water levels are receding.

The state government has submitted a report to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the grim flood situation.

"The state government has submitted a report to the PMO on the flood situation in the state. We have also requested the Inter-Ministerial Group of the Centre to visit the flood affected areas of the state,” state Chief Secretary B K Patnaik told reporters after a high-level review meeting on flood situation chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Pradipta K Mohapatra, Special Relief Commissioner said, “We have a budgetary provision of Rs 411 crore under Calamity Relief Fund for 2011-12 of which we have received the first tranche of Rs 154 crore from the Centre. Besides, we have spill over fund of Rs 90 crore of the previous fiscal.”

Official data revealed that the flood has inflicted damage on about 30,000 dwelling houses in 11 districts. As many as 1,278 villages continue to remain marooned while 2.09 million people have been affected.

Inflow to the Hirakud reservoir has reduced to 0.12 million cusec and discharge was 0.11 million cusec through five gates open at 3 pm on Wednesday. Flood discharge at Mundali was about 0.51 million cusec.

As many as 4,006 villages of 94 blocks and 16 urban local bodies in 19 districts have been affected by the current flood. These districts include Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Puri, Sambalpur and Sonepur.

The human casualty in the flood has been pegged at 22 which includes seven in Jajpur, six in Kendrapara, three in Mayurbhanj, two each in Sambalpur and Dhenkanal and one each in Bhadrak and Khurda districts.

Besides, there are reports of 12 persons swept away by the flood waters including three each in Bargarh, Nayagarh and Cuttack, two in Kendrapara and one in Jagatsinghpur district but their bodies not been found so far.

As per reports received from the collectors of 13 districts (Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Boudh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Sambalpur and Sonpeur), about 0.19 million people have been evacuated from low lying areas to safer places and provided with emergency food assistance.

As many as 299 relief camps have been opened in the inundated areas covering 1,44,392 people.