BHADRAK: Though flood water is receding in six blocks of the district, communication continues to remain paralysed in most of the villages. The worst hit are the children in these areas as roads to schools have been either washed away or breached.
Hundreds of children of Raghunathpur, Kelasahi, Birigadhia, Nababnagar and Naurigadhia villages under Dhamnagar block are not able to attend classes in Raghunathpur Project Primary school which re-opened on Monday.
The workers of Raghunathpur Anganwadi centre had to suspend classes due to very low attendance.
Sources said the wooden bridge over Ghodaganda nullah of river Ganguti, the only route of communication to the school, has been washed away in the flood. Now, villagers have to cross the nullah on a narrow bamboo structure putting their lives at risk.
“Since it is too risky for the children to cross the overflowing nullah on the weak bamboo structure, they are not going to school,” said Harihar Sahoo of Birigadhia village.
Meanwhile, the people of Angeipal and Malika Sahi are yet to return to their villages. They have taken shelter on the embankment of Ganguti as a 60-feet breach on the embankment has washed away most of the houses.
“I do not know what to do and where to go. There is no trace of my house,” said villager Giridhari Samal. He has been staying in a polythene tent with his family on the embankment for the last five days.
“We are facing a lot of inconvenience to bring materials for repairing our houses damaged in flood,” said Mahendra Das of Rameswarpur. He said children have been deprived of education since the flood water entered villages.
The district administration has asked all the departments to expedite restoration work, particularly roads and bridges, said Emergency Officer Rajendra Panda.