Kendrapada: More than 300 students and teachers of a government-run residential school for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students have been stranded in flood-ravaged Kulasahi village of Kendrapada district since Saturday after the Brahmani river inundated the campus, forcing all inmates to take shelter on the first floor of the school building.
The 15-year-old Kulasahi Ashram School, located under Penthapala gram panchayat in Pattamundai block, was marooned after the swollen Brahmani breached surrounding areas, leaving the campus cut off from the rest of the district. Nearly 10 feet of floodwater has submerged the ground floor of the school, where several students usually stay.
Officials said all the students and staff are safe despite the worsening flood situation. With the ground floor rendered inaccessible, the inmates have been shifted to classrooms and rooms on the first floor.
Pattamundai Block Education Officer (BEO) Ajit Barik said the school has sufficient food stocks and LPG cylinders to prepare meals for about a week, ensuring there is no immediate shortage of essential supplies.
However, he admitted that relief and rescue efforts have been severely hampered by strong water currents, making it difficult for boats to reach the marooned institution.
“We are in constant touch with the district administration. The authorities have assured us that all necessary assistance will be provided as soon as the situation permits,” Barik said.
Kendrapada Collector Raghuram R. Iyer said the district administration has directed Pattamundai Block Development Officer Sheetal Agarwal and District Welfare Officer Arabinda Ray to ensure the supply of food, drinking water and other essential relief materials to the stranded students and teachers.
Officials said efforts are underway to reach the school with relief supplies while keeping a close watch on the flood situation. Rescue operations are expected to be intensified once water currents subside and boat movement becomes safer.
Meanwhile, the prolonged isolation of the school has left parents worried, with many anxiously awaiting news of their children’s safe evacuation as floodwaters continue to surround the campus.
