Flood situation remains grim

Continuous downpour during the last one week, triggered by low pressure that followed the cyclonic storm Phailin, has led to flooding of some major rivers in the state, marooning millions of people and claiming 10 lives so far.

Seven districts - such as Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh - in southern and coastal parts of the state have been severely affected in this post cyclone rains with Ganjam district being the worst sufferer.

The situation in Ganjam remained grim for the second day on Friday with thousands of people marooned across the district. At least four out of 22 blocks were cut off from all directions, even though the water level in major rivers have started to recede. Aska, Dharakote, Polasara and Sheragada blocks remained cut off. Almost all major rivers in the district were flowing above the danger level yesterday. The district administration has already evacuated around 90,000 persons of 160 gram panchayats in these 22 blocks and is making efforts to rescue marooned people and shift them to safer places.

The teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have been pressed into service to evacuate more people to the safer places, said Ganjam collector Krishan Kumar.

At least three helicopters have been deployed for rescue operations in areas not accessible by vehicles or boats.

While at least four persons were missing in Kabisurya Nagar, two people from Rangeilunda died when a house collapsed on Friday morning, according to the preliminary report received by the district administration.

Flood-related deaths in the district have increased to eight, while five other persons are missing, sources said.

"We have received the preliminary report about the deaths due to house collapse and people missing in the rivers. We are, however, awaiting the reports from the tahsildars for confirmation of the deaths," said assistant collector (emergency) Mahendra Panda. Thirteen people had succumbed to the Phailin fury in Ganjam district when the tropical storm hit the southern coast near Gopalpur on October 12.

'The flood situation is more devastating than the cyclone," officials said. A large number of houses have collapsed due to incessant rains and subsequent floods.

Almost all the blocks in the district have been hit hard in the floods triggered by the rains for the last four days. The worst-affected blocks were Aska, Sheragada, Kabisurya Nagar, Purushottampur, Ganjam, Chhatrapur, Digapahandi, Chikiti and Patrapur, sources said.