JAGATSINGHPUR: Several low-lying areas in Tirtol and Kujang blocks of the district were inundated on Friday night reportedly after release of floodwater from the Hirakud Dam.
The flashflood has marooned nearly 50 families while vegetable and paddy crops across the two blocks have suffered extensive damage.
In Tirtol block, Adibasi Pada village in Tarajanga panchayat and Munda Sahi and Gauda Sahi of Manijanga have been flooded, forcing residents to take shelter on canal embankments.
Residents of Adibasi Pada said around 20-25 families comprising nearly 200 people live in the village. “When floodwaters entered our village at around 10 pm last night, we could not save our essential household articles, which were badly damaged. Just 10 days ago, the area had been flooded due to release of water from Hirakud Dam. With another round of discharge into Mahanadi river, the situation has worsened, forcing hundreds of people to take shelter on canal embankments with their livestock,” claimed a villager.
Similarly in Kujang, Zillanasi, Hansura and Sailo villages have been inundated with vegetable and paddy fields underwater. Villagers claimed vegetable crops have been damaged in the flashflood. Many farmers who had taken loans for cultivating vegetables are now facing severe financial distress.
On Saturday, Tirtol block chairman Manoj Behera accompanied by local sarpanchs visited the affected villages and interacted with flood-hit families. Officials said nearly 50 families have been evacuated, and the administration is providing relief materials and cooked food to them.
Block development officer (BDO) of Tirtol Girija Prasad Mallick said the flood-affected people of Tarajanga and Manijanga panchayats have been evacuated and shifted to temporary shelters opened in local schools. Cooked food and relief supplies are being provided to them.