Nearly 5 lakh people in Jajpur district of Orissa were affected as the river Brahmani, its tributary the Kharashrota, and the river Baitarani inundated vast areas with the calamities claiming three lives in the state, official sources said on Sunday.

At least seven out of the 10 blocks in Jajpur district were affected by the floods triggered by the rivers, the sources said.

A population of 4,89,063 spread over 573 villages in 123 gram panchayats had been marooned while 63,336 hectares of paddy land had been submerged and over 800 kutcha houses damaged in the floods in Jajpur district, sources said.

A total of 21 breaches had occurred at various places in the district which included 12 in Rasulpur block and nine in Jajpur block.

Brahmani was flowing at 69.80 metres against its danger level of 67 metres at Jenapur while the Kharashrota's water level stood at 20.60 metres against its danger mark of 19.5 metres
at Binjharpur. The Baitarani was flowing at 18.40 metres against its danger level of 17.83 metres at Akhuapada, the sources said.

All three rivers criss-crossing Jajpur district had been showing a receding trend, they said.

While an eight-year-old boy died following the collapse of a wall in Jagannathpur village under Binjharpur block in Jajpur district, two persons were swept away by the Brahmani at a
village near Pattamundai town in neighbouring Kendrapara district, the sources said.