Bhubaneswar: Flash floods triggered by heavy rain fall due to Cyclone Arnab have affected as many as 62,500 people in Ganjam and Gajapati, the worst-hit districts in South Odisha, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said Thursday.
Garg reviewed the situation at the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) and directed officials to intensify rescue and relief operations. Describing the devastation caused by the cyclone, Garg said flash floods had affected 299 villages in Ganjam district.
The government had begun airlifting 2,328 people from 70 villages cut off from the rest of the state, she said. Three teams of the NDRF, 27 teams of the ODRAF and 24 Fire Service teams had evacuated 11,882 people from flood-hit areas of the district, she said.
In Gajapati, 711 villages had been affected by heavy rain and flash floods, Garg said, adding that 25 rescue teams deployed in the district had moved 17,441 people to safety. The government has announced that Anganwadi centres and educational institutions in the two districts will remain closed until October 31.
Sorada was among the worst-affected areas of Ganjam, Garg said. Rushikulya River had overflowed following extremely heavy rainfall over the past three days, inundating nearby towns and villages. In Aska, the river was flowing close to the danger level.
Digapahandi and Chikiti blocks had also experienced incessant rain over the past two days, triggering floods, she said. Garg said the rainfall recorded in Ganjam and Gajapati over the past few days was comparable to what the region sometimes received over an entire year.
“Rivers are in spate, making it difficult to operate boats. As many as 42,500 people in Ganjam and around 20,000 in Gajapati, the worst-hit districts, have been affected,” Garg said. The downpour also triggered landslides in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamala districts. Garg said heavy rainfall had disrupted rail services in Srikakulam district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Shah’s help assurance: CM Mohan Charan Majhi said he had spoken to Shah and briefed him on the cyclone’s impact across Odisha, the prevailing situation in affected districts. “He assured us of all possible assistance to Odisha in the wake of the cyclone.
The support and cooperation of the Government of India will further strengthen our efforts to protect lives, support affected families and expedite relief, rehabilitation and restoration across the state,” Majhi said in a post on X.