KENDRAPARA: The flood has badly affected school and college students as many educational institutions continue to remain inundated in the district.While water and sanitation facilities in most of the schools have been rendered unusable, muddy water is still visible in the classrooms. In areas where flood water has receded, the school buildings are lying covered with slush and mud. Several schools are also been used as temporary shelters for families affected by flood.
Gita Das, a Class VI student of upper primary school in Dandisahi village, said all her books were damaged by the floodwater. The school is lying submerged for the last three days, she said.Bikash Rout, a Class V student of Parigobindapur primary school in Aul block, said since Saturday, his school has been converted into a temporary shelter for cattle and goats. “The veranda and four classrooms of the school are now littered with cow dung and straws,” he said.
A primary school teacher of Dimiripala village in Aul said many students have lost their textbooks in the flood. The flood damage has been severe in the riverside villages and commencement of classes in schools will be delayed by at least two weeks, he said.
Sources said Kendrapara College and St. Joseph School in the town have been flooded by Govari river. Contacted, district Collector Dasarathi Satapathy said 943 villages of 171 gram panchayats in the district have been affected by floods. The administration will provide new books to the affected students, he said. After the flood water receded, many affected families have returned to their homes, Satapathy added.