Chandbali: Residents of this locality in Bhadrak district, who have survived the impact of cyclones in the past, are apprehensive about possible damages cyclone ‘Fani’ may bring along with it.
Chandbali has in the past been ravaged by the 1971 and the 1999 Super Cyclone. The horrific experiences are still fresh in the minds of the people. Chandbali has always been hit by cyclones due to its geographical locations. According to the locals, whenever a cyclone makes a landfall in Gopalur, Puri or Paradip, Chandbali is always affected.
According to social worker Ganesh Panda, the locality despite being a coastal area, all the panchayats do not have cyclone shelter homes. Even if there are some, they are devoid of life saving equipment and not well connected by roads.
The residents of this locality between Paradip and Gopalpur ports are well aware about what the ‘Red Alert 3’ signal means. They had faced it when Phailin (2013) and Hudhud (2015) cyclones had hit Chandbali.
Residents said that during the cyclones the saline water floods farmlands making it difficult for them to cultivate crops in the next couple of years.
Former sarpanch of the area Prafulla Nayak alleged that even though the administration is quick to take relief measures during cyclone, no permanent steps have been taken to save Chandbali from natural calamity.
“The Met office here always plays a significant role in disseminating cyclone-related information, but lacks modern equipment because it does not have its own building. Plantations around Chandbali is the need of the hour as it will go a long way in acting like a safety net in case of any cyclone like situation,” master trainer of ‘Bhadrak District Eco Club’ Anil MIshra said.
PNN