Bhubaneswar: As many as 4.94 lakh people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas across Odisha, while 957 relief centres have been set up to accommodate those displaced by the rising waters, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Pujari said the flood situation was being closely monitored in several parts of the state, with Kalahandi, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda among the districts affected.
“As of around 10 am, 2,282 people have been evacuated from the affected areas and 95 new relief centres have been established,” the minister said.
With the addition of the new centres, the total number of relief centres operating across the state has risen to 957. A total of 4,94,125 people have so far been evacuated and accommodated at these centres, he said.
The state government has also stepped up food distribution for the flood-affected population. Pujari said 95 new free kitchens had been opened, taking the total number of such kitchens operating across Odisha to 944.
Over the past three days, 2,28,767 people have been provided cooked food through the free kitchens. In all, 5,00,260 flood-affected people across the state are being provided cooked food, the minister said.
Dry food packets containing chuda (flattened rice) and guda (jaggery) were also distributed among affected people over the past two days, he said.
Rescue and evacuation operations have been strengthened with the deployment of 99 teams across different parts of the state. These include 28 ODRAF teams, one NDRF team, 40 Fire and Emergency Services teams, and 30 teams from the police and civil defence.
The teams have been deployed at newly affected locations to assist with evacuation and other relief operations, Pujari said.
The minister said the administration was keeping a close watch on the flood situation and was prepared to undertake further evacuation measures wherever required.
“Water levels in all rivers are receding,” Pujari said, indicating an improvement in the overall flood situation.
