BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday made an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Balasore and directed the district administration to reach out to the affected people promptly and expedite rescue and relief operations.
The chief minister inspected the damage caused by flash floods in Baliapal and Bhograi blocks. He also reviewed the situation in presence of Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi, government chief whip Govind Das, local MLAs, the revenue divisional commissioner, district collector and senior officials. Crop damage due to floods and measures to protect the affected people from waterborne diseases were discussed in the review meeting. Majhi ordered formation of a district-level health services team in this regard. He emphasised on disinfection of flood-affected homes and schools, supply of cooked food to the affected people and distribution of polythene sheets among those whose houses were damaged.
Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, the chief minister said six blocks of Balasore district have been affected by flash floods and more than 8,000 hectare of crop land is submerged by floodwater. Specifically, 35 gram panchayats in Bhograi, Jaleswar and Baliapal blocks are severely impacted.
He said the sea is experiencing high tides due to the full moon, preventing drainage of floodwater. However, the situation is expected to improve within a day or two.
“Around 2,000 people from flood-affected villages have been rescued and shifted to safe locations by the district administration. They are being provided food and essential items. Eight fire services teams, three ODRAF and one NDRF team are engaged in rescue operations. More teams will be deployed if necessary,” he said.
The chief minister said district officials including the collector are monitoring the situation and water level in Subarnarekha and Jalaka rivers round-the-clock.
As the possibility of snakebite and occurrences of diarrhoea increases floods, Majhi said the chief district medical officer (CDMO) has been instructed to take adequate measures to deal with the situation.