Bhubaneswar: The Mahanadi river basin in Odisha has overflowed, leaving thousands of people marooned. The relentless rainfall in the upper catchment areas over the past few days caused the Mahanadi and its distributaries to swell, resulting in the inundation of numerous villages in Banki and Athagarh.

Additionally, regions in Nayagarh, Boudh, and Sonepur were also heavily waterlogged. The situation remains critical, with predictions that the flood water will affect more low-lying villages in Puri, Kendrapara, and Jagatsinghpur.

The floodwater has submerged hundreds of acres of paddy fields in nine gram panchayats of Banki and Tigiria blocks, causing significant losses to agriculture. Many roads and bridges in Nayagarh district have also been engulfed by the rising water.

In Kujang block, a severe breach measuring 20 ft occurred in the Mahanadi near Teramanpur, leading to the complete inundation of Kotasahi village by the flood water.

Moreover, the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers surpassed the danger marks in Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, and Bhadrak. While the water level in the Baitarani river has receded slightly, the Brahmani river remains in spate, posing further risks to the affected areas.

The flood has caused extensive damage to vegetable cultivation across vast stretches of land in Cuttack, Banki, Athagarh, Khordha, and Balipatana.