Bhograi: Continuous heavy to very heavy rainfall since Thursday morning through Saturday night has thrown life out of gear in this block of Balasore district.
The incessant rainfall dampened the Dussehra festivities, with many cultural programmes cancelled after water accumulated at several pandals.
Devotees who arrived at the last minute were disappointed after failing to get a glimpse of the goddess.
Bhograi block recorded 70 mm of rainfall from Friday till Saturday 8 am, while Balasore district’s total two-day rainfall was logged at 883 mm.
With the Bhograi block seeing the seventh wave of floods this year, many roads in several low-lying villages were submerged up to ankle level, severely disrupting movement.
Rainwater entered several houses and kitchens, making cooking difficult. Village lanes turned into streams, bringing normal life to a grinding halt.
In Anantapur village, waterlogged roads and flooded houses for four consecutive days made life miserable for the residents, with hardly any help arriving for them.
Residents called in the fire services to pump out the water, but fresh showers continued to worry locals. Under the impact of a low-pressure system, winds blowing at 40 to 50 km per hour left the sea turbulent.
High waves lashed the coast, crashing against stone embankments.
The Fisheries department and district administration have issued a two-day ban for the fishermen on venturing into the sea.
Meanwhile, 32 panchayats in South Bhograi have been inundated while residents continued to struggle in North Bhograi, which is already flood-prone. Cultivation of vegetables such as pumpkin, greens and cucumbers has been destroyed.
Fish ponds and enclosures have overflowed, causing heavy losses to farmers. Bhograi MLA Goutam Buddha Das, residents and local farmer unions have urged the state government to immediately implement the long-pending Subarnarekha Drainage Project, approved by the previous state government at a cost of Rs 99.76 crore. The project is now lying in cold storage and awaiting execution, they said.
PNN
