More than 10 lakh people in 19 districts of Orissa were affected by floods on Saturday.
The coastal districts of Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur will get a huge volume of floodwater with 14.05 lakh cusecs flowing through the Mahanadi at Baramul, less than 100 km from Cuttack.
Flood managers and relief administrators are keeping their fingers crossed over the possible devastation. “The administration is prepared to meet any eventuality,” Praditpa Mohapatra, Special Relief Commissioner, told a press conference here.
According to the State government, 2,550 villages and 13 towns have been affected by the floods. At least 8 persons have lost their lives. Besides, there is a report of 3 persons being swept away in Nayagarh district.
The floods have damaged 10,565 houses in Bargarh, Boudh, Deogarh, Jajpur, Nuapada and Sambalpur districts. About 60,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas to safer places and provided with food. As many as 152 relief camps and free kitchen centres have been opened in marooned villages.
The State government has put the Navy on alert to carry out rescue operations. A ship carrying relief material has been sent by the Navy from Visakhapatnam. A helicopter procured for anti-Naxalite operations would be used for dropping food materials in marooned villages. School and colleges in flood-hit districts have been closed down.
