India, Aug. 1 -- Ten districts downstream of the Mahanadi River have been placed on high alert as the Hirakud Dam continues releasing water through 22 gates, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi saying the floods have affected around 8 lakh people across the state.

Majhi said the flood situation in northern Odisha was gradually improving, but authorities remained focused on the vulnerable Mahanadi delta districts of Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara as water continued to flow downstream.

After conducting an aerial survey of the flood-hit districts of Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar, the chief minister said floodwaters had begun receding and conditions were expected to improve further over th...