Four columns of army and naval divers arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday to assist in rescue and relief operations as rivers in the Mahanadi system continued to rise alarmingly in the entire coastal belt of Orissa.

Official sources said over 13.5 lakh cusecs of floodwater was passing the Naraj delta head in the morning.

More water was expected to reach the delta head by afternoon, the sources said.

The most worrying aspect was the huge inflow into the Hirakud reservoir in Sambalpur district forcing the dam authorities to release more water into the Mahanadi river.

The inflow had been measured at 8.50 lakh cusecs in the morning while 48 out of the 64 sluices of the longest earthen dam of the country had been opened to release 8.07 lakh cusecs of water.

This, officials said, is expected to create a serious situation downstream.

Reports said large parts of the Athagarh and Banki subdivisions of Cuttack district were submerged.

The Cuttack-Banki and Cuttack-Niali roads had been completely submerged disrupting communication.

Official sources said naval personnel were being deployed in the Banki area.

The sources said the Devi river, the scourge of Jagatsinghpur district, was flowing at 63 feet against the red mark of 57 feet at Daleighai.

At Alipingal, the river was flowing at 12.56 metres against the danger mark of 11.76 metres.

The Daleighai embankment is a vital protection for a thickly populated area as it is the last protective wall for the people.

People had set up temporary huts on a 15 km-long stretch of river embankment between Ghadimula and Bhandisahi in Jagatsinghpur district to take shelter.