Odisha Floods Ease, But Villages Remain Underwater As Thousands Stay In Relief Camps

Odisha's flood situation is showing signs of improvement, with water levels in major rivers receding, but the crisis on the ground is far from over. Several villages remain inundated or cut off, relief camps are still sheltering displaced families and authorities have begun preparing for the longer process of assessing and repairing the damage.

Balasore remains among the worst-hit districts. About 40 villages in the Balaispal gram panchayat area were still marooned even after the Subarnarekha fell below the danger mark, with floodwater reaching two to three feet in some areas. In Bhadrak, flooding in the Salandi affected 172 villages across five blocks, while parts of Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Nabarangpur and other districts also remained affected.

The scale of the latest flooding has prompted a major response. The Odisha government says around 1.4 lakh people were moved to safer locations over four days, with more than 500 relief centres opened during the emergency. Forty-three NDRF and ODRAF teams remain deployed across affected areas, while camps continue to provide food and other essential assistance.

Authorities are also managing the Mahanadi system by regulating releases from the Hirakud reservoir. The number of open gates had been reduced from 30 to 19, while discharge at Mundali near Cuttack had fallen to around seven lakh cusecs.

The government has released ₹10 crore for immediate relief in Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur and Jharsuguda, covering house-building assistance, crop losses and relief-camp expenses. However, this is an immediate relief allocation, not a final estimate of the total damage. A comprehensive assessment of homes, crops, roads and other infrastructure is still needed.

The weather outlook offers some relief. The current IMD forecast indicates only limited rainfall around September 30 and October 1, followed by substantially lower rainfall indications in the following days.

That could allow rivers and floodwater to drain further, but recovery will take longer. For many affected families, the immediate concern has shifted from escaping rising water to returning home, restoring livelihoods and repairing what the floods damaged.