Villages Flooded in Odisha after Cyclone Arnab's Rain, 11,000 Rescued in Ganjam

Village after village has been flooded in India's Odisha state under the impact of Cyclone Arnab. Several thousand people have been left waterlogged. The information was reported on Friday.

The weather department said Patrapur block in Ganjam district recorded 546 millimetres of rain in the last 24 hours. Surada, Sanakhemundi and Rangelunda blocks recorded more than 200 millimetres in the same period.

State administration sources said most villages in Ganjam's Dharkot, Sanakhemundi, Surada and Patrapur blocks have been flooded. More than 2,000 people are waterlogged in that region.

Preparations are under way to rescue 120 people by helicopter from four places in Dharkot.

A top administrative official said the whole situation is being monitored. Additional rescue teams have been sent to Ganjam district so that rescue work can be carried out quickly.

The administration said 11,000 people have already been rescued in that district.

The Rishikulya river in Ganjam district and the Bansadhara river in Gajapati district are flowing above the danger level. In some areas river water has entered localities and flooded them.

Low-lying areas in the coastal region have been flooded, and arrangements are being made to send residents there to relief shelters.

Continuous rain has also disrupted train services between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. On the Chennai-Howrah railway line, the track between Ichhapuram and Jhadupuri stations has gone under water.

Rain triggered a landslide at Taptapani Ghati on National Highway 326 on the Ganjam-Gajapati district boundary. The landslide on that highway, which connects Ganjam district with five districts of the state, has disrupted traffic.

State Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the central Home Ministry has been contacted. A Coast Guard helicopter has been sought for the rescue work. She said a vast area of the state is covered in cloud, rain is continuing, and helicopters will be deployed for rescue understanding the weather situation.