Bhawanipatna: Heavy rainfall triggered by a low pressure continued to affect lives in Narla, Lanjigarh and T. Rampur blocks of Kalahandi district Monday leaving many villages marooned. Hundreds of inhabitants of villages in these blocks were seen fleeing their villages with their belongings.
Meanwhile, the administration took all measures to relocate the flood-affected villagers. Government officials were pressed into rescue service while the flood affected people were provided dry food. Over 400 displaced people of Bhawanipatna, Narla and Kalampur were provided cooked food by the administration, it was learnt.
Over 200 people of Palasipada in Bhawanipatna, 30 people of Tulapada under Narla block and 87 people of Birpur under Kalampur block were provided cooked food. Collector Anjan Kumar Manik asked the block development officers (BDOs) to remain alert and evacuate people and livestock from low-lying areas to safer places.
The collector asked all block-level officials to be present at their respective headquarters while a 24-hour control room was opened in Sadar block. Keeping in mind the safety of school children, the collector declared a day off for all schools and Anganwadi centres. Reports said 13 blocks in Kalahandi district experience heavy to very heavy rainfall over the last two days.
Communication was affected on National Highway-26 as a bridge across river Hati was overflowing with flood waters. The floods have pushed farmers living on the banks of the river into distress as the floodwaters submerged their farmlands.
According to reports, 200mm rainfall was witnessed in Bhawanipatna, 39mm in Kesinga, 98mm in Karlamunda, 167mm in M Rampur, 395.25mm in Narla, 254.04mm in Lanjigarh, 54mm in Dharmagarh, 37mm in Junagarh, 136mm in Kalampur, 78mm in Jayapatna, 134mm in Koksara and 34.04 mm in Golamunda block Monday.
Hundreds of houses and roads were washed away the floods. Communication was disrupted on Bhawanipatna-Jugasaipatna main road while 60 houses in Palasapada village under Talbelgaon were submerged by floodwaters. Similarly, many other villages under Sadar block were flooded.
Lanjigarh-Bijepur, Lanjigarh-Jagannathpur, Bhawanipatna-Musanal and Bandhabari-Lanjigarh roads were badly affected. Loss assessment was affected due to inaccessibility of several areas, it was learnt.
Meanwhile, two ODRAF teams were pressed into service in T Rampur and Kalampur blocks for rescue operations. The ODRF team rescued 17 persons from Karatikili village under Bhawanipatna block.
Relief materials were supplied to all remote areas while livestock and domestic animals were taken care of. “The administration is making all-out efforts to avoid casualties,” Manik said. PNN