Bhubaneswar: With floodwaters gradually receding across the state, the Odisha government on Sunday shifted its focus from rescue and relief operation to damage assessment and restoration in affected areas.
The overall situation has improved considerably after floods in different rivers affected more than eight lakh people across 22 districts, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.
Among the severely affected districts are Baleshwar, Bhadrak and Jajpur, while parts of Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha and Kataka have also been hit hard due to the floods and heavy rain, he said.
As the situation improving slowly, the government has initiated the process of assessment of damage caused by the deluge to determine losses to homes, crops and public infrastructure, the Minister said.
Teams from the Agriculture and Revenue departments have been deployed to conduct field surveys in affected areas. Reports of damage caused to houses have already been received from several districts, while officials have also been directed to submit detailed reports on losses to vegetable crops.
The government is simultaneously assessing the condition of schools and Anganwadi centres that may have been damaged during the floods. Based on the reports, financial assistance will be provided for their repair and restoration.
In order to prevent disease outbreaks, the Panchayati Raj, Health and Housing & Urban Development departments have launched disinfection drives in flood-affected areas.
The Water Resources Department has also been instructed to immediately repair breached embankments to strengthen flood protection.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has advised the Ministers concerned to visit the affected areas and personally review the ground situation.
The state government said restoration, rehabilitation and damage assessment will continue until normalcy is fully restored.
Meanwhile, Engineer-in-Chief (EIC) of the Water Resources Department Dillip Kumar Rout said the recent flood situation in the state was triggered by unusually heavy rainfall in a very short period.
Noting that there is no flood threat from the Mahanadi or other major rivers at present, he explained that the state witnessed an unusual rainfall pattern this monsoon, which led to flooding in several districts.
As Odisha recorded 47 per cent below-normal rainfall in June, water was retained in reservoirs to prepare for the possibility of a weak monsoon. Forecasts over El Niño had indicated below-normal rainfall in July as well, he said.
However, the state received 38 per cent above-normal rainfall in July and several areas recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall within a short span, causing a sudden rise in river water levels and flood conditions in many parts of the state,
While Mahanadi river system has flood control mechanisms in place, there is no such flood control infrastructure for the Baitarani River, making areas along its basin more vulnerable during intense rainfall.
