The Odisha government on Wednesday warned that stringent action would be taken against traders indulging in hoarding and black marketing amid the flood situation in the state.

Food supplies and consumer welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said: “The welfare of the people is a basic principle of the state government. We will not allow any unscrupulous element to take advantage of the miseries of the people.”

The flood situation remained grim in the coastal belt of Odisha with many areas getting cut off. The situation will remain critical for the next 24 hours, said the government.

It also maintained that the state at present is facing a medium-kind of flood and may avoid a high flood like the one it had witnessed in 2011.

Officials said: “Earlier we have seen how some traders and shopkeepers resorted to black-marketing of essential commodities like kerosene, oil, candles and vegetables, including potato and onion when the state faced cyclone or floods. They are creating an artificial scarcity of essential commodities. The order has been issued to all the concerned officials to remain vigilant and take tough action against unscrupulous elements.”

Meanwhile, flood water from Mahanadi and its tributaries have inundated many villages in the coastal belt, including Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jagatsingpur and Cuttack. Floodwaters have breached river embankments in many parts. The backwater of the flood has destroyed several acres of agricultural land. “The entire paddy and vegetable crops have been destroyed. What will we do and how can we survive?” said Pratap Swain, a villager of the Kanasha area in Puri district.

Engineering-in-chief, water resources department, Bijay Mishra said the flood-like situation would continue for another four days. The department is also closely monitoring the warning issued by the India Meteorological Department about formation of a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal.

“The inflow of water to the Hirakud has subsided. But the volume of inflow and outflow is almost the same at present. The water level at Hirakud reservoir is 626.47 feet against its full reservoir capacity of 630 feet,” said Mishra.Special relief commissioner, P.K. Jena said: “We are closely monitoring the movement of water flow in the Mahanadi river system. The next 24 hours are crucial for us. Process has begun to distribute cooked food to the flood hit people of the state. Besides, we are also taking steps to immediately repair the embankments where breaches have been reported."