Odisha’s flood-hit villages submerged for fifth day, victims say “no house to live in, no food to eat”

Over 8,000 people in Jajpur remain marooned after a 100-foot breach in Kani river’s embankment, with livestock left without fodder and crops wiped out.

Balasore: Despite the water level of major rivers of north Odisha receding to below the danger level, around 100 villages in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts were still under flood water for the fifth consecutive day on Friday, an official said.

Around 30,000 people in the villages are affected by flood waters, he said.

While 80 villages under Baliapal and Bhograi blocks in Balasore are encircled by flood water of around 4 feet high, a similar condition prevailed at 14 other villages under Dasrathpur block in Jajpur district, the official said, adding some pockets in Dhamnagar block of Bhadrak district were still under water.

"Though the water level in river Baitarani has receded, flood waters have remained stagnant in our villages for the past five days. As a result, it damaged my house, destroyed household articles, stored grain and fodder for the livestock," said Rabinda Samal, a flood-affected man from Dasrathpur block.

Samal said: "I returned home from the relief centre, wading through waist-deep water as the roads are still submerged under water. I found my house in bad condition. Presently, I neither have a house to live in nor any food to eat. Although we are being provided a little quantity of rice as relief by the administration, how can we prepare the food as our houses and 'chula' (oven) are still under water."

"The government claims that the flood situation has improved after the water level receded in the rivers. But the fact remains that water has now accumulated in our villages after being drained from the river. How could the flood situation improve till the people are in relief camp and unable to light their 'chula'," asked Sabita Swain, a young woman from the same block. She said that drinking water is a major problem as all sources of water have been contaminated due to the flood.

Swain said the Dasrathpur area was suddenly inundated due to a breach on the embankment of Kani river, a tributary of Baitarani river. "We could not find time to collect our essentials and ran away from the village, seeing the flood fury," she said.

According to official reports, over 8,000 people of at least 14 villages of Kasapa and Malikapur gram panchayats of the Dasrathour block are still marooned by the flood after flood water gushed into their villages due to a 100 feet breach at Kani river embankment.

Over 5,000 people were evacuated and sheltered in nearby school buildings since Saturday. As their houses have been badly damaged, household articles, food grains and livestock have been badly affected, the flood victims have been struggling to salvage their belongings.

Flood victims complained of scarcity of clean drinking water, food, with stagnant water giving rise to health concerns.

The affected people complained that the flood water had destroyed fodder, leaving livestock without feed.

"Free cooked foods have been provided in 25 relief camps. The water has receded from the rivers, and we are taking all sorts of measures to provide rice and dry food as relief materials in the marooned areas. Besides, we are also taking steps to provide fodder on a priority basis in the marooned areas," said Akash Pattanaik, BDO of Dasarathapur block.

He said the breach repair work would start on Friday.

A report from Balasore district said that this is the sixth spell of flood since June this year in river Subarnarekha.

Though lives of human beings and cattle could be saved due to timely evacuation, the entire population of Baloapal, Bhograin, Basta and Jaleswar, have lost their Kharif crop cultivation.

"The affected people have lost food grain for the entire year due to frequent floods. The government should announce a special package for the affected people of the four blocks of Balasore," said a local sarpanch.