Rabindra Mallick and his family members in the Bhagbatpatna village in Puri district have been spending most of their time under the open sky for more than seven days. During the day, the temperature hovers around 40°C, but they have nowhere to go — trees have been uprooted and roofs blown away by Cyclone Fani.
The majority of the families in the predominantly Dalit village have been left with no roof over their heads. The two-room primary school is able to accommodate barely 20% of the local population.
As many as 12 towns of Odisha recorded maximum temperatures of above 40°C on Saturday; Puri’s temperature could not be gauged.
‘Completely ravaged’
“A day before the cyclone hit our district, we were herded to the Goruala Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter, 3 km away from our village. When we returned, we found our houses completely ravaged. Except a few, who had houses with concrete roofs, all the villagers have been rendered shelter-less,” said Mr. Mallick.
“Although the community kitchen began functioning three days after the cyclone hit this village, taking care of our food needs, polythene sheets have not been provided. Polythene sheets would have helped cover the roof. Now, we are spending much of our time outside and our household articles are also lying under the sun,” he said.
A similar situation prevails in almost all the villages in Puri district, and parts of the Khurdha district.
“In Puri, Khurdha and Bhubaneswar, as many as 2,69,711 beneficiaries have been provided either polythene, or cash in lieu of polythene. The coverage is 36%. The Special Relief Commissioner is making additional requisitions for polythene,” said Sanjay Singh, Odisha Secretary of Information and Public Relations, at a press conference on Saturday.
Mr. Mallick said, “The role of polythene carries equal importance as that of food for us during disasters. As my home does not have a roof, I cannot go out for work. The situation would turn worse if kalbaisakhi [a period of thunderstorms in the region] rain takes place.”
Meanwhile, due to the heavy demand for asbestos sheets, prices of the product have gone up, with unscrupulous traders trying to create artificial scarcity. With a month left for Southwest monsoon to hit Odisha, cyclone survivors are trying to cover their houses with asbestos sheets.
The State government said that 9 lakh trees worth ₹270 crore have been lost inside forests and sanctuaries, and there has been a loss of 5 lakh trees worth ₹150 crore outside forests. Environmentalists, however, said the official estimate on loss of trees was actually a lot lower than the actual loss.
