Rajnagar: As if being marooned in floodwater for seven days was not enough for the people of 13 villages under Rajnagar block in Kendrapara district, now crocodiles are being sighted in villages.
The villagers are presently living in fear and apprehension. The villagers of Belapala, Dandi, Chakibanka, Govindpur, Santhapada, Tanganatoila, Ostia, Nagad, Katakana, Naladia, Bandhapatana, Rajpur and Balichandrapur are these days facing a double whammy.
They are struggling with the woes of waterlogging and living with the fear of crocodile attack. With the flow of water in the Brahmani basin increasing, the water level in the flood-affected areas in Rajnagar block was also rising.
At the same time, adding to the woes of the flood hit villagers, crocodiles from the Brahmani river started entering the villages. The villagers said they had seen a crocodile in floodwater at Belapala Kalipadia Tuesday.
“To bring drinking water or get vegetables, we have been wading through the water for last three days. But we are now in fear and apprehension. There is every possibility of crocodile attack,” they added.
Fear of crocodile attack has gripped the villagers so much that yesterday some villagers who came to Madanpur square to buy vegetables were seen returning homes in the trailer attached to a tractor.
Around 40,000 people in Bandhapada, Ostia, Belapal and Rajpur panchayat have been marooned. The floodwater in Rajnagar block started increasing from September 15 night.
Even though the paddy fields were completely submerged, there was no water on village roads from September 17 to September 19 morning. But the floodwater suddenly came gushing into the village after September 19 morning and the water level kept rising.
These four panchayats are now cut off from the district headquarters. Knee-deep floodwater is still stagnant in Ostia-Bandhapatna High School.
PNN
