Over 700 Rescued, Dozens of Villages Submerged, Roads and Homes Damaged Across District
Jharsuguda : With an average of 218.44 mm rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours, Jharsuguda district is battling a severe flood threat following relentless downpours. The district administration has sprung into action, launching coordinated rescue and relief operations across the most affected areas.
Four blocks Laikera, Kirmira, Kolabira, and Jharsuguda have reported torrential rainfall leading to severe waterlogging, widespread infrastructure damage, and partial collapse of homes.
The block-wise rainfall data is as follows:
Laikera: 270.4 mm, Kirmira: 255.3 mm,
Kolabira: 233 mm, Jharsuguda: 213.3 mm, Lakhanpur: 120.2 mm.
The district administration has launched emergency operations to rescue stranded individuals and support affected households: 36 persons rescued from Jharsuguda block, 186 rescued from Laikera block, 500 rescued from Brajrajnagar Municipality.
All rescued individuals have been provided cooked meals, while essential relief materials, including 93 kg of flattened rice (chudra) and 15 kg of jaggery (gud), have been distributed in Laikera.
Deployment of Medical and Veterinary Teams
To address health concerns amid the rising water levels: Two medical teams and one veterinary team each have been deployed in Rengalbeda and Thelkobud villages in Laikera block, Similar teams are active at Itabhata and Lala Lajpat Rai Vidyalaya in Brajrajnagar Municipality. Additional veterinary teams have been dispatched to Kolabira, Kirmira, and Lakhanpur blocks.
Infrastructure Hit Hard Across District
Floodwaters have severely damaged rural infrastructure, particularly roads and houses: In Jharsuguda block: 4 km of roads submerged at 3 locations, Kolabira block: 2 km of roads damaged at 5 points; cracks along 500 meters on 3 roads, Laikera block: 8 km of roads damaged at 8 sites; 500-meter cracks on 6 roads, Kirmira block: 8 km of roads damaged at 7 points; 1.2 km of cracks on 4 roads, Lakhanpur block: 10 km of roads damaged across 6 areas. In total 262 mud houses and 3 pucca houses have sustained partial damage.
Widespread Inundation Reported
Rural Areas Affected: Jharsuguda block: 7 villages across 4 panchayats, Laikera block: 15 villages in 7 panchayats, Kirmira block: 20 villages in 8 panchayats, Lakhanpur block: 5 villages in 4 panchayats.
Urban Areas Flooded:
Jharsuguda Municipality:Old Bus Stand,In front of Anand World, Gokul Bakery area, Hatli, Gayatri Bihar, Industrial Estate, Mangal Bazaar (Ward No. 9),
Brajrajnagar Municipality: Itabhata,
Station Road, Railway Tunnel Road,
Remja.
Belpahar Municipality:One ward reported submerged.
To streamline relief efforts, the district administration has assigned zonal responsibilities to key officials:
District Collector: Lakhanpur Block, Brajrajnagar & Belpahar Municipality,Additional District Collector (Revenue): Jharsuguda Block & Municipality, Additional District Collector (General): Kolabira & Kirmira Blocks,Sub Collector: Laikera Block.
