Cyclone Bulbul Ruins Paddy Crops In Six Odisha Districts

Bhubaneswar:  Cyclone Bulbul caused extensive damage to standing crops in the six districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur, Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena told mediapersons here on Sunday.

“The severe cyclonic storm that whizzed past Odisha on Saturday night flattened 3 lakh hectare of paddy crops and the degree of damage will be 33 per cent or more in over 2 lakh hectare. Horticulture crops have also suffered damage. Detailed assessment is on and it will take another four to five days to get the complete picture,” he said after video conferencing with the collectors of the affected districts.

Houses Damaged

Heavy rain and strong wind triggered by the cyclonic storm also damaged 5,500 houses in these districts.

Power Restoration

“Trees were uprooted in the strong wind and fell on roads, obstructing traffic movement. They have been cleared by NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Services personnel,” said Jena.

He said that power is slowly being restored in the affected areas. “Nearly 16 lakh consumers were affected in the six districts and electricity supply has been restored to 15 lakh consumers. The work will be completed in a day or two,” he added.

He attributed the delay to severe waterlogging in paddy fields in Dhamra and Basudevpur in Bhadarak district and Rajkanika and Rajnagar blocks of Kendrapara. “The poles have to be erected carefully without damaging the paddy fields. Power will be restored to all areas by Tuesday evening,” he said.

He said that 95 per cent of electrification was completed by Sunday.

Drinking Water

“Drinking water supply systems were not damaged since there was no power supply. Since power supply has been restored, the system are being activated and people have started getting water,” the SRC said.

He said alternative arrangements have been made in areas where power has not been restored. “Gensets have been supplied in these areas to lift water to the overhead reservoirs. At smaller places, water is being supplied through tankers,” he said.