Bhubaneswar: The Odisha administration has intensified relief and restoration operations to bring life back to normal in cyclone- and flood-affected districts, with 75,855 people evacuated to safer locations and 396 relief camps set up, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said on Sunday.
A total of 1,18,730 people have been affected by the disaster, with Ganjam and Kandhamala districts bearing the maximum impact, Patil said while reviewing the situation and ongoing relief and restoration measures.
Three deaths have been reported in Kandhamala district, while 807 pregnant women were shifted to safer locations as part of the evacuation drive. Of them, 399 have given birth, he said.
The disaster has affected crop areas spanning 75,388 hectares and damaged 1,672 houses, according to the SRC.
The administration has opened 396 relief camps to accommodate evacuated people and provide them with essential assistance. Relief and restoration work is being carried out on a war footing to restore normalcy in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, power restoration work has been expedited in cyclone-hit areas of southern Odisha, with more than 6,400 personnel deployed for the task.
Power supply has been fully restored in Boudh, Malkangiri and Rayagada districts, as well as Brahmapur city. Overall, more than 96 per cent of the power supply has been restored in southern Odisha.
Efforts are also underway to restore normal drinking water supply in the affected areas.
Against Berhampur city’s daily requirement of 90 million litres per day (MLD), around 70 MLD of water is currently being supplied, while 20 water tankers have been deployed to meet the additional demand.
As many as 2,575 tubewells and 162 rural piped water supply projects in the affected regions have been disinfected and made operational. Drinking water bottles and pouches have also been distributed among residents.
A sand bund is being constructed at Janibali on a war footing to normalise water supply. Around 120 workers and three earthmoving machines have been deployed for the work.
Meanwhile, the administration is closely monitoring the weather situation following the formation of a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast by November 3.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for the Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting authorities to strengthen preparedness in vulnerable areas.
The administration has made arrangements to evacuate people from low-lying and high-risk coastal areas to safer locations. Disaster response teams have been kept on standby, while relief camps, drinking water facilities and emergency medical services are being arranged.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea in view of the extremely rough sea conditions.
The state government is closely monitoring the evolving weather situation and has directed officials to take immediate precautionary measures, officials said.
