With the record-breaking rainfall continuing to create havoc in several parts of the State for the third day, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena has asked all district Collectors to submit damage reports within a week, by September 22.
Due to heavy rainfall experienced in different parts of the state during the second week of September and consequent localised flooding, there are reports of damage to private properties besides some human casualties, Jena said in a letter to the collectors.
“Assessment of damage to these properties in different sectors such as houses, agriculture (crop loss of 33% & above), sand cast of agriculture land, loss of cattle, etc. and enumeration of beneficiaries have to be taken up on priority so that the assistance as per norms of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) can be paid to the affected persons expeditiously to enable them to repair/ reconstruct their houses and restore livelihood,” he said.
The state government has already declared heavy rain as a state specific disaster within the local context for which expenditure on relief measures and immediate repair/ restoration of damaged public infrastructure will be met from SDRF, the SRC said.
The cases of loss of lives may be expeditiously processed online through Disaster Assistance Monitoring & Payment System (DAMPS) for sanction and payment ex-gratia to the next of kins of the deceased, he said.
In case of house damage, the collectors have been directed to distribute polythene to the deserving affected households.
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters here, the SRC said he asked the collectors to evacuate people and provide dry and cooked food in the affected areas as more areas is feared to be flooded.
Jena said all the districts of the state have received more than the normal rainfall this year except Nabarangpur. While Boudh received the highest average rainfall of 229.3 mm, Nabarangpur received 8.1 mm of rainfall during the last 24 hours.
He said as many as ten districts recorded rainfall above 200 mm, and nine districts received rainfall between 100 and 200 mm in the period 24 hours. The highest-ever rainfall was recorded in the Angul and Sonepur districts of the State in the last 24 hours.
While Talcher block in Angul recorded maximum rainfall of 394 mm, Biramaharajpur in Sonepur recorded 372 mm rainfall and Sonepur town received 282.8 mm rainfall, during the period.
Jena said though the water level in the Mahanadi river is rising it is flowing much below the danger level and ruled out any flood in the Mahanadi river system. However, due to heavy rain in the upper catchment area of the river, around 6 to seven gates of the Hirakud reservoir would be opened in a bid to keep the reservoir safe. The Water Resources department and dam authorities will decide on the opening of the gates, he said.
The SRC said Jalaka River is flowing above the danger mark and so is Baitarani river but the situation is not grave. A strict vigil is being kept on the Brahmani, Baitarani, Jalaka and Kani rivers.
The average rainfall in the state in the past two days has been estimated at 156 mm while the average rainfall till date in September was recorded at 154 mm, he informed.
Jena said all the departments have been instructed to assess the damages that occurred due to the rainfall and submit a report as soon as possible so that measures could be taken within two weeks.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD said the deep depression over north interior Odisha has moved further west-northwestwards and lay centred over north interior Odisha & adjoining north Chhattisgarh, about 50 km west-northwest of Jharsuguda (Odisha) and about 130 km south-southeast of Ambikapur
As per the situation report prepared by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), over 20.46 lakh people in 111 blocks and 27 urban local bodies of 20 districts have been affected due to the heavy rainfall.
The districts are; Angul,Bargarh, Balasore, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Koraput, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Puri and Sonepur.
The government has evacuated 13,534 persons from affected areas in seven districts while 2870 houses have been damaged in the rain, as per the preliminary report.
With the death of another person due to wall collapse in Ganjam district, the death toll rose to 4. One person is missing due to drowning in Nischintakoili Block of Cuttack district, it said.
