Odisha Places Five Coastal Districts on High Alert as Swelling Mahanadi River Raises Severe Flood Risks
The Odisha government issued a high alert across five downstream districts—Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Khordha—as heavy upstream precipitation and discharge from neighboring Chhattisgarh pushed the swelling Mahanadi River system toward critical flood thresholds, State water resources authorities opened multiple sluice gates at the Hirakud Dam to manage massive inflows, releasing significant volumes downstream where discharge at the Mundali barrage near Cuttack was projected to reach between nine and 9.5 lakh cusecs. According to Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, major distributaries including the Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Devi, Bhargavi, and Daya rivers have crossed warning levels, inundating low-lying agricultural lands and forcing temple closures in Cuttack district. In response, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi deployed teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Fire Services to lead evacuation and emergency rescue efforts. While the state administration has set up relief centers and directed health officials to prepare medical supplies to handle potential post-flood disease outbreaks, residents in vulnerable riparian communities have been urged to remain vigilant and follow official evacuation advisories as floodwaters continue to flow through the delta region.
