BALASORE: The misery of residents ravaged by floods due to the Subarnarekha river has doubled with communication cut-offs in Baliapal, Bhograi, Jaleswar, Balasore Sadar and Basta blocks of the district. Reportedly, there have not been many efforts on the part of the administration to bail the residents out of the distress.
To take stock of the situation, RDC (Central Division) Suresh Chandra Dalei conducted a review meeting with officials in the Jaleswar block. It was revealed that communication from low-lying areas of Kamarda in Bhograi block to Palia in Baliapal, Uluda to Paschimbar, Baliapal to Bishnupur, Kumbhirgadi to Bhograi, Baliapal to Chudhurikud, Kudmansingh, Palajmkunda and Uluda to Aruaburti and Kusuda remain affected as the roads continue to be submerged under 3-4 metre high water. The situation worsened after the water level of Subarnarekha rose after 5 pm on Sunday and marooned many villages of the blocks after 7 pm. The residents could not move to safer places as it was a sudden development. The river is currently flowing at 11.54 metres against its danger mark of 10.36 metres.
Residents of Rashalpur village in Bishnupur gram panchayat are a worried lot after floodwater entered their houses on Sunday evening. Gunakar Sahoo of the village said locals who could not leave their livestock behind, stayed back. Cooked food by the administration is only being given to people at the flood shelters.
The State government declared 18-gram panchayats of Baliapal block on the banks of Subarnarekha river as flood-affected. However, the locals said they have been suffering since the river changed its course 25 years back.
Similar is the plight of residents of Kumbhirgadi in the Bhograi block. Other than those at shelters, none of the residents is getting any cooked food from the administration, locals alleged. “We are not even getting water to drink as the tubewells have been submerged. The rice, dry fuel and dry paddy straw stocked at our houses were also damaged,” said Kalicharan Sahoo, a local.