Bhubaneswar, Oct 10: The heavy rains that lashed most parts of Orissa for the last few days triggering floods in several rivers have stopped as the death toll in the rain-related incidents rose to 21. There was little rainfall during the day in many districts with the weather improving. The rivers were also receding fast, the revenue minister, Biswabhushan Harichandan, told newsmen here today.

The minister, however, said that reports which were coming in from interior areas suggested that over 33 lakh people in 13 districts were affected by the rains and resultant floods.

Official reports said that the highest number of eight deaths, six of them due to drowning, occurred in Ganjam district followed by Cuttack (4), Kendrapara (3) and Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Gajapati and Balasore (one each).
The floods damaged 1,17,252 houses of which 3,609 had fully collapsed, Harichandan said adding 7403 villages in 98 blocks of the state were affected.

The Baitarani, Budhabalanga, Subarnarekha - all in north Orissa and Vansadhara and Rushikulya (both in the south) were receding.

The collectors of the affected districts were presently assessing the damages caused by the calamity, he said.

The water level in the Hirakud reservoir near Sambalpur stood at 628.77 feet against the dam's maximum reservoir level of 630 feet. The inflow into the reservoir through the Mahanadi River was measured at over 1.76 lakh cusecs while more than 1.30 lakh cusecs was being released.
Bureau Report