Kendrapada faces fourth flood crisis: 80,000 people affected amidst continued rain

Kendrapada: Fresh rain since Sunday night in Kendrapada have added to the woes of people already reeling under the fourth flood in two months. Around 80,000 are marooned in 28 gram panchayats of Aul and Pattamundai blocks.Most have taken shelter in makeshift tents on the river embankments, highways and other higher places but rainwater often enters these temporary shelters. “Torrential rain has forced us to live on the road but we don’t have a choice as our village is marooned in the flood,” said Paresh Jena of Taradipala village under Pattamundai block.Belying govt’s claims that everything is alright, those affected say they have not got any relief and criticised the administration’s passive approach.

“Flood-hit villagers in our gram panchayats have not received any relief from the govt. We received only cattle feed from the authorities,” alleged Ganesh Chandra Das, the sarpanch of Singhgaon gram panchayat.“My four-room mud house collapsed last week in the floodwater. Now I and my three children are residing in a makeshift camp at a high place in the village. I need polythene cover and drinking water,” said Chandan Sethi (65) of Krushnadaspur village under Singhgaon gram panchayat.

Many flood affected people have been forced to move in with their friends and relatives living on higher ground. “The whole village is flooded. We have no food and our houses are under water,” said Giridhari Rout of Penthapala village under Pattamundai block.In the worst-hit areas, little can be done until the water recedes. Nobody is sure how long that will take. “Incessant rain for the last two days added to our woes,” said Anapurna Sethi, the sarpanch of Penthapala gram panchayat.Contacted, collector (Kendrapada) Raghuram R Iyer said, “Many villages under Aul and Pattamundia are marooned due to the fourth flood. The district administration stocked rice, flattened rice, molasses, kerosene and other items in all the gram panchayat offices and in the block headquarters to provide help to the affected people. We have deployed power boats to rescue the flood-hit people. All the cyclone shelters and schools are providing shelter to the people.

Block development officers and tehsildars have been directed to provide polythene covers to the affected people.”