BHUBANESWAR: With the low pressure weakening and the flood situation improving, the State Government on Friday asked district Collectors to start assessment of the damage to property in rain-affected areas of the State. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi has asked the administrations of rain affected districts, especially from South Odisha - Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Kandhamal - to assess the damage caused by rain in the last couple of days.
Low pressure induced rain has severely affected 48 blocks in six districts in the last three days damaging private and government property. Around 3,400 houses have been damaged. “As there has been an improvement in weather condition, SRC has asked district administrations to conduct a damage assessment in the rain-affected areas. The affected families would be provided financial assistance in accordance with the norms of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF),” said Deputy SRC Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra. Seven deaths due to wall collapse and drowning have been reported, said SRC office. The deaths include two each from Kalahandi and Koraput and three from Rayagada.
Besides, heavy rain that triggered a flood-like situation and inundated several low-lying areas affected 2.11 lakh people in Kalahandi, 5000 people in Koraput and 7,500 p e o p l e i n Nabarangpur. The communications disrupted in different areas have been cleared-up, said SRC officials, adding, medical teams have been deployed along with ODRAF in affected areas, while dry food is also being distributed among the rain-hit people.
As per SRC report, as many as 109 blocks received surplus rainfall while 162 blocks received normal rainfall, 34 blocks received deficit rainfall and nine blocks received severe deficit rainfall from June 1 till date. Meanwhile, SRC officials said Met department has predicted heavy rainfall at one or two places over Malkangiri, Koraput, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts on August 19.