The state of Odisha is being put under significant pressure due to the continuous rain and rising river waters and there is a lot of flooding in Odisha and its districts. According to the monsoon intensity which has increased by 65 percent in July compared to the same month last year, rivers broke through banks and inundated low-lying areas and hundreds of villages were left stranded. An emergency response by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was launched to respond and disaster response teams and mass evacuation started in the vicinity of the affected areas to save vulnerable people from the floodwater.
The human toll of this natural disaster has been heavy, and there have been nearly 863,909 people in 22 districts who have been affected in this disaster. At the same time the inundated houses and broken links of communication have meant that 267,301 displaced people were moved to safer places in a very short time from the disaster, and hundreds of temporary relief camps and animal shelters have been created to meet basic survival needs such as cooked meals, dry rations, safe drinking water and immediate medical care. But the disaster also took many lives, and the state provided statutory ex-gratia payments to the bereaved families and immediate rescue and relief efforts were rushed into action.
The Odisha government released for the first time a preliminary aid package of Rs 110 crore as part of the relief plan approved by the Chief Minister. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that almost one-third of this money has been channeled directly to the three worst affected districts of Balasore, Jajpur and Bhadrak which have suffered the most damage to buildings and agriculture. Balasore received Rs 22.03 crore, Jajpur Rs 20.20 crore and Bhadrak Rs 20.12 crore. Jagatsinghpur, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur, Khurda and Boudh got different proportional shares based on preliminary damage assessments.
The state government has ensured that all financial assistance is transferred directly to the bank accounts of verified beneficiaries through the DBT system as a transparent and effective way to prevent leakages in the distribution of aid. Now that floodwater has largely subsided, joint survey teams of Revenue and Agriculture are in place to measure crop losses, structural collapses and livestock deaths. State authorities are committed to providing all affected families with support and complete rehabilitation and reconstruction will be carried out until the entire region is back to normal.
