Bhubaneswar, Aug 19: Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday warned of a possible medium-level flood in the Subarnarekha river, with water levels expected to rise further in Baleshwar district due to continued water discharge from Jharkhand.

Pujari said the flood situation in several other districts has improved as rainfall declined over the past 24 hours, providing some relief. However, around 1,410.42 cumecs of water is being released from Chandil Dam, which is likely to push up the Subarnarekha’s water level at several locations.

The river is already flowing above the danger mark at Rajghat. Meanwhile, water levels in the Brahmani, Baitarani and Budhabalanga rivers are receding.

The minister said water levels in Baleshwar are expected to rise this evening and increase further around midnight. The district administration has been placed on high alert, while Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak and Jajpur have also been cautioned.

Flooding currently affects 68 blocks in six districts, including Baleshwar, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar and Bhadrak. As many as 469 panchayats, 1,579 villages and 64 urban wards have been affected, impacting around 11.65 lakh people. Of them, 4.26 lakh have been evacuated to safer locations.

Floodwaters have affected nearly 58,465 hectares of land and damaged 1,882 houses.

Pujari directed the Baleshwar administration to immediately seek additional rescue teams or relief materials if required. He also announced that seeds would be supplied to affected farmers. While 16,000 quintals are currently available, around 40,000 quintals are required and will be procured from the Centre.

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