Bhubaneswar | The flood situation in north Odisha remained grim on Wednesday, with incessant rain swelling major rivers and inundating villages, affecting over 1.25 lakh people across five districts, officials said.

In view of the situation, schools and anganwadi centres in 10 districts have been ordered to remain closed, they said.

The rainfall, triggered by a deep depression, has caused rivers to overflow, with floodwaters entering villages in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts and submerging vast stretches of agricultural land, they added.

The Budhabalanga and Jalaka rivers have inundated several villages in Balasore district, while the Baitarani, Budha and Salandi rivers have flooded many areas in Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, officials said.

According to the Water Resources Department, all the major rivers in the region were flowing above the danger level.

The district administrations have intensified evacuation efforts, shifting around 50,000 people from low-lying areas to relief centres where cooked food is being provided, officials said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Services have been deployed for rescue and relief operations, they said.

The state government has also deputed three senior IAS officers to the worst-affected Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts to supervise flood management and coordinate relief measures, they added.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places in Odisha over the next 24 hours.