Bhubaneswar/Brahmapur: Four defence helicopters have begun airdropping food packets at 21 identified locations in flood-hit Ganjam district, while a central team will visit Odisha November 2 to assess the damage caused by floods triggered by cyclone ‘Arnab’, officials said Friday.
Helicopters of the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard are involved in the operation, covering areas including Hinjilikatu, Purushottampur, Seragada, Dharakote, Asika, Belaguntha, Bhanjanagar and Chikiti, where several areas remain cut off due to flooding, officials said.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said personnel had been stationed at the identified locations to distribute food packets among stranded people.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the packets carry as much as 4,500 kg of grains, which will be dropped at designated locations for distribution among affected people. Other flood-hit residents are being provided cooked food by rescue teams transporting supplies in boats, he said.
Over 23,000 people are staying in relief camps, while the number of those marooned is considerably higher, Pujari said. Around 50,000 people have been severely affected by the floods in Ganjam, he added.
Forty trained personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) will reach affected areas with cooked food to assist stranded people.
Of the 313 rescue teams deployed across the state, more than 100 are engaged in Ganjam and Gajapati districts, Pujari said.
Movement of boats to several locations had earlier been difficult due to strong water currents, but the situation improved slightly Friday, he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by Pujari, left for an aerial assessment of the flood situation in Ganjam and Gajapati districts Friday afternoon.
CM Majhi had earlier expressed concern over the unexpectedly heavy rainfall in the two districts. He said the administration had expected cyclone Arnab to have a major impact on Malkangiri, but the heavy rainfall in Ganjam and the resulting floods had taken everyone by surprise.
Patrapur block in Ganjam received 54 cm of rain in 24 hours, while several other places in Ganjam and Gajapati also recorded unusually heavy rainfall, triggering massive floods, Majhi said.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the volume of rain in Ganjam over 24 hours was more than the area’s annual average rainfall. The intensity of the flood current was so high that NDRF and ODRAF personnel could not move into several affected areas, she said.
The Indian Coast Guard was consequently requested Thursday to airlift stranded people and drop food packets in inaccessible pockets of Ganjam district.
Ganjam is the worst-affected district, while Gajapati and Kandhamal have also suffered damage. The government has not received any report of casualties so far, Pujari said.
The overflowing Rushikulya river has caused extensive damage in Ganjam, inundating several villages, damaging bridges and washing away roads. Floodwaters have entered residential areas, with Sorada, Aska, Bhanjanagar and Purushottampur among the worst-affected places.
Dasamaili village in Dharakote block has been submerged under nearly 10 feet of water, while road connectivity between Aska, Berhampur and Sorada has been disrupted. Around five feet of floodwater is flowing over the Tankachhai-Hinjilicut road, affecting movement.
Near Achhuli, a 30-foot breach has developed along the Rushikulya river. A bridge near Patashala has also been washed away, an official said. Floodwaters have also entered Bhanjanagar town, Sanakhemundi and Purushottampur areas.
Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan said rescue and relief operations had been intensified in affected areas and relief materials had been distributed among people since Thursday.
PNN & Agencies