Thousands evacuated as Odisha river breaches embankment

About 10,000 people were evacuated and moved to safer places Tuesday after the Baitarani river breached its embankment following heavy rain in Odisha's Jajpur district.

Meanwhile, thousands of residents in Bhadrak district were shifted after heavy flooding in the area on account of a breach in the Sathie Bankuda river.

The Baitarani river breached its embankment at Patapura and its waters submerged homes and inundated crop fields in about 30 villages located in low-lying areas, District Collector A.K. Samal told IANS.

"We have moved about 10,000 people to cyclone shelters, schools and other high-rise buildings. Efforts are on to rescue 10-15 people stranded on rooftops," he said.

Heavy rain over the past weeks has created havoc in 30 districts of the state, killing three people so far.

Gushing waters have washed roads while disrupting public transport in many places.

The districts of Jajpur, Keonjhar, Kalahandi and Bhadrak are the worst-hit, state officials said.

The situation may not aggravate further as water levels in most rivers except the Baitarani are falling, a senior official of the state's relief commissioner office told IANS.

Incessant rain has also hit coal mining operations in the state.

Mahanadi Coal Fields Ltd (MCL), a unit of Cola India which operates in Angul and Jharsuguda districts, said it could Monday remove only 40,000 tonnes of soil that sits above the mines against a daily average of 250,000 tonnes due to the heavy rain.

"Production of coal also came down to 230,000 tonnes from a daily average of 300,000 tonnes due to the downpour," MCL chairman A.N. Sahay told IANS.

"If it continues raining for a few more days, we will be forced to cut the output further," he said.