Berhampur: Receding floodwaters in Ganjam have revealed widespread damage to homes, shops and villages, with more than 1.05 lakh people across all 22 blocks affected, official sources said. The administration has opened 367 relief camps and provided cooked food to around 56,051 people. Food was also airdropped in inaccessible areas, said collector (Ganjam) Keerthi Vasan V.With the weather improving after a week of relentless rain, restoration of essential services has begun. “The situation is gradually improving and we are trying to restore normalcy on a war footing,” said commerce and transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, who is monitoring the work.In Nuagaon under Sorada block, 70-year-old Mamata and her family on Saturday dried soaked belongings and covered their damaged house with polythene. Nearly eight feet of water had entered the house on Oct 29 when Rushikulya swelled after extreme rainfall following Cyclone Arnab’s landfall in Andhra Pradesh. “I have nothing left,” Mamata said.At Kalasandhapur near Aska, a grocer was drying provisions after floodwater washed away much of his stock. Purna Panigrahy (55) of Kalinga Road in Aska said he and four family members climbed onto their roof as water rose. “We remained without food for two days as all the food materials in the house were damaged after floodwater entered,” he said.His elder brother, Surya Narayan Panigrahy (63), said the stranded family received cooked food on Friday. Having witnessed the devastating Aska flood of 1990, he said this year’s deluge appeared more severe. Another resident, Basant Kumar Pathy, said the misery was more widespread this time, affecting farmers, traders and other residents. The 1990 flood had damaged infrastructure, including six old bridges at Aska, Bhanjanagar, Sorada and Maulabhanja.
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