KENDRAPARA: Even as floodwater started receding in Kendrapara district since Sunday, the situation in many riverside villages under Aul and Pattamundai blocks continues to be grim. Hundreds of people of Singhgaon, Srirampur and other gram panchayats under Pattamundai block and Earadanga, Petapada, Mangarajpur and Gobindapur Panchayats under Aul block are trapped in the flood water and waiting for food, drinking water and medicines. Hundreds of houses are still partially submerged under water, said sarpanch of Singhagaon GP Ganesh Chandra Das.
Roads in many flood-hit areas of Aul and Pattamundai blocks are cut off, as a result, villagers are depending on boats to reach safer places. “The situation is very serious. Many of our villagers are trapped in the floodwaters,” said Parameswar Das of Petapada village.
Though the government is claiming to have provided relief items, in reality, places like Singhgaon, Earadanga, Petapada, Mangarajpur and Gobindapur GPs are submerged under floodwater and people in these villages have not received any relief items, allege villagers.
Sumant Chandra Behera (55) of Nuapatna village under Pattamundai block whose seven-roomed thatched house collapsed in the flood on Friday is now taking shelter on the road by erecting a small polythene covered tent. “The floodwater on Friday entered my house for which I was forced to abandon the house along with five family members,” said Sumant.
Contacted, sub-collector, Kendrapara Niranjan Behera said the authorities have been providing relief items to the affected people. “The district administration has started work to provide house-building assistance to the affected persons. We are taking photos of the damaged houses along with the owners. This will make our work easy to provide money to affected persons to rebuild their houses,” he informed.