Survivors live with rotting carcasses

BHUBANESWAR, NOV 5: The threat of an epidemic looms large as water is yet to recede from many cyclone and flood-affected areas where maro...

BHUBANESWAR, NOV 5: The threat of an epidemic looms large as water is yet to recede from many cyclone and flood-affected areas where marooned people are spending their days in the midst of rotten animal carcasses. Acute shortage of foodstuff, drinking water and other essential commodities have made life for those who have survived the cyclone a living hell.

Many areas of Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts are still not approachable by road even nine days after the cyclone hit the coast. It is feared that starvation deaths will be reported from these areas if food and drinking water are not rushed. Supply of medicines and water-purifying tablets has also become urgent as reports of people suffering from gastro-enteritis are pouring in from the affected areas.

Jajpur and Balasore districts, affected by flash floods in the Baitarani, Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha rivers are still cut off from the rest of the state. Road link with Calcutta is yet to be established because of a breach on national highwaynumber five near Soro in Balasore district. As many as 2500 houses have been damaged in Bhadrak town which was affected by the flood in Salindi river. As many as 28.5 lakh people of the three districts have been affected in the flood.

Addressing newsmen here on Thursday, special relief commissioner SRC D N Padhi admitted that 75 lakh people affected by the cyclonic storm and subsequent floods are still marooned. He said that relief is yet to reach people in 60 per cent of the affected areas.

Official reports said that Jajpur is yet to be accessible by the land route. There is also no detailed report about the loss in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts because of the cyclonic storm and flash floods. Unofficial sources said that the district headquarters town of Bhadrak was still marooned.

Heavy casualties are apprehended as about 20 villages on the coastline in the Jagatsinghpur district have been completely washed away in the cyclonic storm. The entire Ersama block was flooded with five to sevenfeet of water and Kujang was submerged. Preliminary official assessment maintained that about 314 gram panchayats in the district were severely affected in the cyclone. The winds reaching up to 300 km per hour devastated the district as locked doors, windows and door-frames of pucca houses were blown up.

A report from Cuttack said that crops worth over Rs 19.49 crore were damaged in the cyclone. Cuttack city continued to remain waterlogged. Seven gram panchayats of Kanas block in Puri district were still marooned. Some parts of Puri district were still inaccessible. Official sources said the Cuttack-Paradip road was yet to be cleared.