JAJPUR: Resentment is brewing among the flood-hit villagers of Bari block over delay in provision of relief materials.Flood victims are struggling for basic needs like food and drinking water in absence of any assistance from the district administration. Akrura Dalei of Gammu village said, “I am taking shelter on the rooftop of a building in our village with my six-member family since the last six days. After the first four days, whatever dry food we had was exhausted. We are starving since the last two days as no relief material reached us.”
Similar is the situation in a number of villages in eight panchayats of the block. Over 1.7 lakh people in 29 panchayats have been affected in Bari after floodwater of Brahmani and Kharasrota rivers wreaked havoc in the block washing away houses and damaging crops. Over 10,000 hectare of farmland have been submerged in the block. Sources said paddy saplings over vast tracts of land have been damaged due to the floods.
Adding to the misery, residents of many villages are reeling under darkness for the last couple of days due to disruption of power supply. Villagers alleged that despite the risk of water-borne diseases spreading in the flooded areas, the district administration is yet to provide proper medical facilities.
Sources said though water level is receding in Brahmani and Kharasrota rivers, several panchayats continue to remain submerged. At least 40 villages under Ratnagiri, Mahakalapada, Gammu, Amathapur, Mandari, Serapur, Kaipara, Kalamatia and Chandanpur panchayats are still water-locked. As many as 10 breaches have occurred in river embankments in the block due to the floods.
On Wednesday, Opposition Leader Pradeep Nayak and former Bari MLA Debasish Nayak visited flood-hit areas in Bari and reviewed the situation.A district official said the administration is struggling to provide relief materials in the flood-hit areas due to inaccessibility. Around 35 per cent relief has been distributed among the flood victims in the district.Over eight lakh people of 10 blocks and one municipality in the district have been affected by the floods.