Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will visit flood-hit the Ganjam district on Friday and conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas.
The Chief Minister is likely to cover Asika, Sorada, Hinjili, Belaguntha and Bhanjanagar.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari is likely to accompany CM Majhi during the aerial survey.
Ganjam is among the worst of 17 Odisha districts impacted by Cyclone Arnab, with Patrapur recording the highest downpour of 546 mm. Gajapati has also been badly affected, with the remnants of Arnab dumping heavy rains.
As heavy downpour continued to disrupt normal life across several Odisha districts, authorities have been engaged in carrying out rescue, evacuation and relief operations.
Over 59,000 people affected
According to latest figures shared by the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pujari, 59,028 people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas across the state, with 830 relief shelters being arranged to accommodate displaced residents.
The most number of evacuations have been from Gajapati (17,441 people), followed by Malkangiri (15,477), Ganjam (11,882) and Nabarangpur (10,519).
Authorities identified 922 vulnerable villages in Ganjam.
Pujari reviewed the situation from the State Emergency Operations Centre at the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC). The Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner, senior officials of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Water Resources Department and other concerned departments also attended the review meeting.
The administration has evacuated 550 pregnant women in Ganjam, including 293 cases involving institutional deliveries.
In Gajapati, 12 ODRAF teams, one NDRF team and 12 fire service teams are on standby. Seven rescue boats have been deployed, and relief materials and permanent and temporary shelters have been arranged. The district administration has evacuated 420 pregnant women, including 33 institutional deliveries.
