Flood-hit people in Odisha wait for govt help

Villagers are desperately waiting for essentials like dry food, drinking water

The floodwaters in Odisha’s major rivers may have receded, but the pain and suffering people had to endure in most of the affected pockets is just beginning to multiply because of the alleged neglect of the local administrative units.

Dry food, drinking water, baby food, medicines and fodder for cattle are some of the things the people in the affected areas are desperately asking for. However, most of them are reportedly not receiving them as the officials fail to reach them due to visible lack of coordination in relief operations.

Many villages still remain marooned and waterlogged, causing serious inconveniences to the affected, particularly women who find it difficult to attend nature’s call.

Inadequate deployment of country-boats and motor-boats has also multiplied the plights of the people. In some cases, pregnant women were seen being ferried on large cooking dishes to hospitals.

Residents of Routsahi under Ratnagiri gram panchayat in Jajpur district alleged that repeated calls to the local administration to send a boat to their marooned village to ferry a woman bitten by a snake went unanswered. They were forced to ferry the woman in a large cooking dish to Gopalpur Field Hospital. “We made over 100 calls to the local administration on Tuesday afternoon for sending a boat to carry a snake-bite patient to hospital. However, no solace came from the administration. We ferried the woman in a cooking dish for three kilometers in waist-deep floodwater. But her condition had worsened and she was referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack,” the villagers complained.

The scene at Karabara village under Banki block in Cuttack district is quite distressing.

Hit by the Mahanadi floods, the villagers have remained marooned for six days now. As the water has gushed into houses, people are taking shelter on rooftops.

“As the water has entered our house, we are taking shelter under the open sky on the roofs of pucca houses. Some of the people who can afford have got tarpaulin sheets on rent of `100 per day to save their children against incessant rains and night dew. Our children, cattle and goats are living under the same tarpaulin sheds on the roof,” said Naresh Nayak of Karabar.

Residents of Gadamatiapada and Haladiapada under Kanas block in Puri district have not eaten cooked food for five days now.

“We have not eaten any cooked food ever since three breaches occurred in Daya and Makara embankments five days ago. We are surviving on chuda (flattened rice) and floodwater as tube-wells and dug-wells have come under the flood waters,” said Matiapada villagers.