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With the Mahanadi river in spate, the authorities fear that up to 3 million more people in Orissa may be affected by floods within the next 48 hours
After nearly a week of torrential rains, it is now the Mahanadi river that is wreaking havoc and destruction in 10 districts in Orissa. The overflowing river, one of the state's largest, has inundated large areas, affecting over 300,000 people, an official said on August 31.
Districts already affected by the latest spell of flooding include Nayagarh, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Cuttack, Kandhamal, Khurda, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Boudh.
Heavy rains that began over a week ago in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi caused breaches at two places along its banks at Bhagipur in Cuttack district, some 60 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, inundating huge swathes of farmland and villages. The water level at Dalai Ghai along the banks of the Devi river, a tributary of the Mahanadi in Jagatsinghpur district has crossed the danger level.
The situation is likely to worsen in the coming days with the Mahanadi and its tributaries continuing to swell, Orissa special relief commissioner Jagadananda Panda said. "We have evacuated more than 10,000 people from various districts," he added.
This latest bout of flooding came even as the state was recovering from earlier floods that claimed over 85 lives and caused massive devastation. "As per our estimates, the number of people likely to be affected by the latest floods may be near 3 million in the next two days," Panda said.
On the night of August 30, the government alerted the administrations of Jagatsinghpur, Angul, Boudh, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagada, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Puri districts. Stocks of food, medicines and other relief material have been kept ready at all village blocks and district headquarters, said officials.
Heavy rains since the onset of the annual monsoons, two months ago, have already affected 27 of Orissa's 30 districts, leaving thousands homeless and damaging huge amounts of property and standing crop. More than 2.5 million people these districts have been affected by the floods, which hit the state in three phases. Nearly 50,000 houses have been washed away or damaged.
While the two floods in July devastated the coastal district of Balasore, the August floods ravaged the districts of Jajpur, Kendrapada and Bhadrak, a senior relief official said. The Brahmani and Baitarani rivers, which flow through these three districts, have trapped hundreds of villagers. In Jajpur, the district worst hit in the latest flooding, floodwaters have marooned over 201 villages.
Meanwhile torrents of rain, triggered by a severe depression over the Bay of Bengal, continue to pound coastal areas of the state, worsening the already grim flood situation, especially in the 11 coastal districts including Balasore and Jajpur that are still reeling under recent floods.
Rs 2 billion has been given as immediate central relief for the flood-ravaged state, where 85 people have died in four rounds of floods in the past two months. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the package on August 28 as the first instalment of assistance towards damage caused by floods.
At a press conference in the state capital Bhubaneswar, during a two-day visit to the state that was curtailed due to bad weather, the prime minister said he would direct the home ministry to immediately depute a team to visit the flood-affected areas for a detailed assessment of the damage. The total amount of central aid to be provided to Orissa for flood relief would be finalised after this, Singh promised. The state government had asked for total assistance of Rs 11.31 billion for flood damage and reconstruction work.
Despite the state government's assurances, for the marooned and homeless people of Orissa more rains mean added delays in relief and rehabilitation efforts. Relief has been slow in getting to the stranded villagers and after days of living in muddy floodwaters, with no let up in the rain, their condition is dire. "Water levels are yet to recede in our area," Musi Dalei, a resident of one of the worst hit villages in Jajpur district, said. "Four days after our village got flooded no government official has visited us," she added. Dalei's hut is under waste-deep water and her seven-member family has no food.
Other villagers too complain that they have not received any relief material. Shyamsundar Mallick of Jhalpada village in Jajpur said: "No government official has come to us. Our legislator Parameshwer Sethy visited us and left us with assurances. All of us are starving and waiting for relief."
However, Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal and special relief commissioner Jagadananda Panda who conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Jajpur district, on August 25, said all 10 blocks of Jajpur district had been provided relief material and cattle feed for the animals.
Source: The Hindu, September 1, 2006
IANS, August 31, 2006
PTI, August 29, 2006
www.timesnowtv.com, August 30, 2006
IANS, August 28, 2006
IANS, August 26, 2006
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