ASKA: Sumitra Lenka’s house is a picture of mess as she rummages through the accumulated sludge on the floor, desperately trying to retrieve her bank passbook, Aadhaar card and other documents.
Simanchal Behera, a resident of Kumbhar Street, is equally distressed. All his belongings remained submerged for more than 24 hours. He does not know what to salvage first. His biggest worry, however, is arranging books and notebooks for his child, all of which were destroyed in the floods.
Aska presents a picture of devastation. The small town in Ganjam district is covered in slush, with household belongings strewn across the streets. The floodwaters have receded, but the town remains stuck in mud, debris and collective loss.
Three days after the deluge inundated the town, residents are counting their losses and salvaging whatever is left behind. The waters rose so rapidly that many had little time to react. Families in low-lying areas rushed to the upper floors of relatives’ houses, while others struggled to find safe shelter.
“It has been three days without drinking water and mobile network connectivity is patchy. On October 28, floodwater gushed into our streets. Before we could realise what was happening, the water level had risen menacingly, submerging everything in its path,” said G Surya Prakash Rao, a senior advocate and member of the Aska Bar Association.
According to Rao, the town remained inundated for more than 28 hours, with several localities under more than four feet of water until Saturday morning.
For the first two days, it remained almost cut off. All the local government establishments were flooded and in position to respond. All the buses and trucks were parked at the entrance of the town and the drivers nowhere in sight, access to Aska was almost blocked. All of it could be addressed only on Friday. Across Ganjam, over 56,000 transformers are reported to have been damaged which means power restoration would take time.
With the waters receding, residents are now grappling with a shortage of drinking water. Long queues have formed before tankers, while the disruption of piped water supply has compounded the hardship. Although water was supplied in some areas until the morning of October 29, the supply stopped thereafter, said social worker Sankar Sahu, pointing to the watermarks left on buildings. Power supply was also disrupted soon after the floodwaters entered the town.
Bottled water and supplies arranged by voluntary organisations have provided some relief to families who have lost food stocks, clothing and other essentials.
The damage to small businesses has been extensive. Grocery, fertiliser, book and garment shops remained submerged for nearly two days, destroying stocks and merchandise. With outlets covered in sludge and goods rendered unusable, traders face the prospect of substantial investment before they can resume business. Prafula Sahu, who owns Natraj Studio, said his establishment was completely flooded and there was little he could do to save it.
The floods also took a toll on domestic animals. Cattle and other animals died in the inundation, and their carcasses remained unattended in several localities, raising a stench and fears of disease outbreaks. Angry residents of Ward No. 10 staged a road blockade demanding their immediate removal. The protest was withdrawn after the authorities arranged for the disposal of the carcasses.
Picking up pieces
Around 200 sanitation workers from Berhampur Municipal Corporation have been deployed in Aska to clear mud, debris and accumulated waste. Restoration of electricity has also begun, but normalcy is likely to take time, with the district reporting extensive damage to electrical infrastructure.
The Fire Services wing installed 21 high mast lights to facilitate relief and restoration measures. The Aska sub-divisional hospital resumed operations after the floodwaters receded. However, thick layers of mud inside the building forced doctors to attend to patients outside the premises.
Residents have alleged that the initial response of the local urban body, elected representatives and administration was inadequate, leaving families to fend for themselves during the most critical hours. Voluntary groups and organisations, meanwhile, have stepped in to provide drinking water and assist with relief and cleaning operations.
The Ganjam district administration has, meanwhile, intensified relief and restoration measures. Collector V Keerthi Vasan said efforts were underway to restore normalcy in Aska. Twenty autorickshaws and 10 tractors have been deployed to distribute relief materials, while parked heavy vehicles are being moved to clear space for relief operations.
The administration has also deployed 10 drinking-water tankers and distributed around 30,000 water bottles by Friday evening. The number of tankers is proposed to be increased to 30-35. Cooked food is being distributed, additional lighting arrangements have been made and fuel has been stocked locally to support emergency operations.
Questions over flood management
The scale of devastation in Aska has brought the management of water resources in the Rushikulya basin under scrutiny. Ganjam has several minor and medium irrigation projects, including Bhanjanagar, Daha, Ghodahada, Dhanai, Ghatakeswar, Sorada and Baghua reservoirs. The convergence of the Rushikulya and Bada Nadi near Aska, coupled with heavy rainfall across their upper catchments, contributed to the alarming rise in water levels.
However, residents have questioned whether water could have been evacuated from irrigation reservoirs in advance, given the forecast of heavy rainfall. They allege that the Water Resources department began releasing water only after the downpour intensified, potentially aggravating the situation downstream.