Bhubaneswar: A Central team will visit Odisha on November 2 to assess the damage caused by the floods triggered by Cyclone ‘Arnab’, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said today.
The minister said Ganjam district has been the worst affected by the floods, while Gajapati and Kandhamal districts have also suffered damage. However, he clarified that the government had not received any report of casualties so far.
As part of the ongoing relief operations, Naval helicopters will air-drop food packets at 22 locations in Ganjam district. The air-dropping exercise will cover several areas, including Hinjili, Chikiti, Purushottampur, Sheragada, Dharakote, Aska and Belaguntha, said Pujari.
The minister also said 40 trained personnel would reach the affected areas with cooked food to assist people stranded by the floods. Movement to several locations had earlier been difficult due to strong water currents, but the situation has improved.
According to Pujari, 22 blocks in Ganjam district have been affected by the floods, impacting around 43,000 people. Of them, nearly 23,000 have been evacuated and shifted to safer places.
A total of 352 relief centres have been set up to accommodate the affected people. As many as 72 villages have been affected, including nine villages that have suffered extensive damage.
The minister said the reduction in rainfall over the past 24 hours has brought some relief to the affected districts.
Odisha received 132 mm of rainfall between October 1 and October 30, which is 18.7 per cent above the normal rainfall. A major share of the rainfall was recorded during the last three days, he said.
Ganjam district received rainfall 118 per cent above normal during the three-day period, making it one of the worst-affected areas.