The Odisha government on August 18 declared 15 days of relief for flood-affected population in five districts. The declaration was made after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made an aerial survey of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Khordha district.
Expressing deep concerns over the extent of damage caused by floodwater, Mr. Patnaik directed the administration to expedite provisioning of cooked food, health service, drinking water for people and fodder and veterinary service for cattle.
Fifteen days of relief would be made available for flood-affected people of Khordha, Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack and seven days of relief would be provided to people of villages in Bargarh, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Boudh and Angul where floodwater has entered.
Damage-assessment within seven days
Odisha CM also ordered to carry out damage-assessment within seven days after receding of floodwater and payment of compensation for house damage and loss of property in 15 days.
Although the water level in Mahanadi River System has fallen marginally, thousands of people were still marooned by floodwater. A total of seven breaches has occurred in the river system.
At Hirakud Reservoir, discharge of water was brought down from 6.76 lakh cusecs in the morning to 4.81 lakh cusecs in the evening by closing 12 gates.
Meanwhile, the State government has alerted all district collectors about heavy rain to be caused by a low pressure area that has formed over northeast Bay of Bengal.
The low pressure area is likely to move northwestward and become well-marked during the next six hours. Continuing to move north-westwards, it is likely to concentrate into a depression by Friday morning over north Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal and Bangladesh coast. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-north-westwards across Gangetic West Bengal, north Odisha, Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh, warned India Meteorological Department.
Special Relief Commissioner P. K. Jena said the government would keep a close watch on the flood situation to be caused by heavy rain under the influence of the atmospheric system.
