Sans admin help, Balasore flood victims left in the lurch 

The forecast of torrential rain from today has only added to the woes of the flood-affected people of Bhogarai area in Balasore district.   

As of now, a common scene of people putting up makeshift tents with polythene sheets on either side of roads is emerging from different areas of the Bhogarai block. 

Since their houses are still submerged in flood water, they have no alternative than to spend nights in tents with torn-polythene sheets stretched out over them. 

In some places, people can be seen making their children sleep on thin clothes like saree or loin cloths spread out on the wet ground. 

With the administration yet to come to their rescue, they said they have left everything at the mercy of the god. 

“The administration hasn’t provided polythene sheets to us as yet. We along with our children are forced to live under torn polythene sheets. We feel sorry for our cattle as they are in open,” rued a flood victim. 

As if the damage caused by the flood was not enough, now the rain has come to make our lives more pathetic. We are receiving only flatten rice. Only yesterday night, cooked food items were given to us, said an elderly woman. 

Echoing the same, another flood victim Manmath Patra said, “We have no option but to spend days and nights in tents. The flood has left us nowhere. I have a pond where I was rearing fish. The floodwater has washed away them. Similarly, my vegetable crops have all been destroyed.”

Meanwhile, Engineer-in-Chief, water resources department, Bijay Mishra said the flood situation in the State has improved. 

“Normalcy is returning in flood-affected areas. The water levels in Mahanadi and other rivers are on decreasing. As many as seven breaches have occurred in the Mahanadi system. The breaches are being repaired temporarily. Their permanent repair will be carried out in November,” said Mishra. 

(Reported by Ajit Das and Balasore Bureau Chief Rashmi Ranjan Das )