Odisha intensified rescue and relief operations after severe flooding stranded thousands in Ganjam and Gajapati. Exceptional rainfall and powerful currents forced authorities to deploy helicopters for inaccessible communities.Odisha intensified rescue and relief operations after severe flooding stranded thousands. (PTI photo)Bhubaneswar,Oct 30, 2026 14:49 ISTThe Odisha government on Friday stepped up rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Ganjam and Gajapati districts, where thousands of people have been stranded for more than 24 hours after incessant rain during cyclone Arnab, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Authorities were preparing to air-drop food packets in inaccessible areas as around 50,000 people were severely affected in Ganjam.

More than 100 rescue teams were deployed in Ganjam and Gajapati, while defence helicopters and the Indian Coast Guard were asked to assist with relief operations.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the Water Resources portfolio, expressed concern over the unexpectedly heavy rainfall in the two districts.“As part of the preparedness for cyclone Arnab, the administration was expecting that the calamity could have a major impact in Malkangiri. However, nobody could imagine that such heavy rainfall could occur in Ganjam district and cause severe floods,” Majhi said at a meeting in Bhubaneswar.

Majhi said Patrapur block in Ganjam received 54 cm of rain in 24 hours, while several other places in Ganjam and Gajapati also recorded unusually heavy rainfall, causing extensive flooding.Chief Secretary Anu Garg told PTI, “The volume of rain in Ganjam in a span of 24 hours was more than the annual average rainfall in the area.” She said the flood current was so strong that personnel of the National Disaster Response Force and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force could not enter several affected areas.The Indian Coast Guard was consequently asked to airlift stranded people and drop food packets in inaccessible parts of Ganjam.Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said defence helicopters had been requisitioned to air-drop food packets at 21 identified locations where there was no other way to deliver food and water.With rainfall easing over the past 12 hours, NDRF and ODRAF personnel were expected to distribute cooked food in areas where people remained surrounded by floodwaters.“It was not possible to reach the affected people even by using modern boats due to the heavy current of flowing water,” Pujari told PTI. He said more than 100 of the 313 rescue teams deployed across Odisha were working in Ganjam and Gajapati.The overflowing Rushikulya river caused extensive damage in Ganjam, flooding villages, damaging bridges and washing away roads.

Floodwaters entered residential areas, with Sorada, Aska, Bhanjanagar and Purushottampur among the worst affected.Dasamaili village in Dharakote block was under nearly 10 feet of water, while road links between Aska, Berhampur and Sorada were disrupted. Around five feet of water was flowing over the Tankachhai-Hinjilicut road, affecting movement.An official told PTI that a 30-foot breach had developed along the Rushikulya river near Achhuli and a bridge near Patashala had been washed away.

Floodwaters also entered Bhanjanagar town, Sanakhemundi and Purushottampur.Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan said rescue and relief work had been intensified and relief materials had been distributed since Thursday. With large areas still inaccessible, the state government continued to rely on rescue teams, helicopters and the Coast Guard to reach stranded residents and supply food and water.- Ends