Bhubaneswar: More than 9.40 lakh people from 1,381 villages across 74 blocks in six flood-hit districts of Odisha have been affected, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Tuesday, while informing that over 3.70 lakh people have so far been shifted to safer locations.
The affected districts are Bhadrak, Jajpur, Baleshwar, Mayurbhanj, Kendujhar and Kendrapada, where the government has stepped up rescue and relief operations amid the worsening flood situation.
Majhi said 550 relief camps have been opened across the affected areas, with cooked food being served to people displaced by the floods.
To strengthen rescue and emergency response, 45 ODRAF teams, eight NDRF teams and 65 Fire Service teams have been deployed in the six districts.
The chief minister said people were satisfied with the relief and assistance being provided by the government and reiterated that his administration would stand with people during disasters.
“Ours is a government of the people. Whatever disaster may come, we are with the people in their joys and sorrows and will remain so,” Majhi told reporters.
Explaining the factors behind the flood situation, the chief minister said rainfall during the three-month period of June, July and August had been highly abnormal. More than 1,100 mm of rain has been recorded during the period, which is around 34 per cent above normal, he said.
Majhi said such an unusual rainfall pattern had not been witnessed in the state in the past 25 years.
The chief minister had visited Jajpur and Bhadrak districts on Monday to take stock of the flood damage and assess relief and rescue measures on the ground.
During his visit, Majhi travelled by road to affected areas and inspected several locations by boat and on foot. He interacted with residents in villages under Kasapa and Tarapada panchayats of Dasarathpur block in Jajpur and villages under Shyamsundarpur panchayat of Tihidi block in Bhadrak.
He also reviewed the ongoing relief and rescue operations and inspected the quality of cooked food being prepared at Ramachandrapur school in Jajpur.
In Bhadrak, the chief minister visited the shelter at Dapanaakani school and took stock of the facilities available to displaced residents. He also interacted with people there and enquired about the difficulties they were facing, particularly in accessing relief and other essential assistance.
