In Odisha, the flood situation continues to remain grim mainly in Ganjam, Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts. The low pressure induced rains has led to fresh floods in Budhabalang river in Mayurbhanj district with water gushing into district headquarters town of Baripada and 50 villages.
The rains have affected relief and rescue operations in several areas, particularly Ganjam, Gajapati and Nayagarh districts. However, there is some respite for the people of Ganjam with major rivers including the Rusikulya, Godahada and Vansadhara now flowing below the danger mark.
AIR correspondent reports that Revenue and Disaster Management Minister of Odisha, SN Patro, has hoped that the situation would improve soon as the intensity of the week-long rains had started declining in most areas of the state.
He said the emergency food assistance was being provided for three days to the rain-affected people. Train services have also been badly affected due to submergence of tracks leading to cancellation of a number of trains and diversification of long-routed trains. Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar Met office has predicted heavy rainfall in the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Rayagada, Nayagarh, Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack of Odisha during next 24 hours.
In Andhra Pradesh, the death toll gone up to 42 and five more persons are missing due to rains and floods in the state. Four thousand two hundred villages remained marooned. About 22 thousand houses have been damaged while crops in about 8 lakh hectares are affected.
Assistance of Army and Air Force has been sought for rescue and relief operations as flood situation continued to be grim in several rain-hit areas. The state Government has rushed 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force, NDRF, to the rain-ravaged Srikakulam district as Vamsadhara and Nagavali Rivers are getting heavy inflows of flood waters.
After Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation at a high level meeting, additional NDRF teams have been sought from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Odisha for relief operations.
Evacuation from low laying areas is still continuing in Srikakulam, Krishana and East Godavari districts. Over 4 lakh cusecs of flood waters are being released from noon today from Prakasam barrage in Vijayawada across River Krishna and 2 lakh 50 thousand cusecs released from Dhawaleswaram in Rajahmundry across River Godavari.
Meanwhile, the government has announced immediate assistance of 10 kg rice and 5 thousand rupees towards clothing and utensils to each affected family. About 97 thousand people are taking shelter in 235 relief camps. The state authorities have preliminarily estimated the losses due to heavy rains at 1,868 crore rupees.
Meanwhile, road and rail transport remained severely hit in the rain affected areas of the state. AIR correspondent reports that
flood water washed away soil from beneath railway tracks at several places due to incessant rains that lashed the state for the past six days. Dozens of express trains were cancelled and several others were diverted due to which commuters in large numbers stranded at several stations including Rajhamundry, Ankapalli, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The rail services to Bubaneswar, Chennai, and Howrah were badly affected.
The road transport was also hit as the highways looking like streams and washed away at a number of places disrupting road traffic. Meanwhile, Srikakulam ravaged badly due to incessant rains as Ranasthalam received 22 centimetres of rainfall today. Yelamanchili in Visakhapatnam District received 32 cms of rainfall under the influence of low pressure area.
Vamsadhara River is in spate posing grave threat of flooding several villages due to which 10 teams of NDRF have been rushed to the district. The authorities have also sought assistance from Army, Air Force and also NDRF teams from neighbouring states.
