Odisha Floods: 3 Dead as Arnab Rain Strands Thousands in Ganjam

Three people died in a landslide in Kandhamal district and thousands are stranded in Ganjam and Gajapati after Cyclone Arnab’s heavy rain flooded southern Odisha, state officials said on Saturday, 31 October. Kandhamal Collector Ved Bhushan confirmed the deaths in Dangesi village in Raikia block, where houses were washed away; PTI reported the dead were a couple and their nine-month-old son. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ₹4 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin of each victim.

23,000 in Relief Camps, Food by Air

More than 23,000 people are in relief camps, and officials said the number stranded in flooded areas is considerably higher. The government puts the affected population at about 50,000 in Ganjam, 30,000 in Gajapati and 12,000 in Kandhamal. Four Navy and Coast Guard helicopters have airdropped food packets at 21 locations in Ganjam, while NDRF and ODRAF teams are delivering cooked food by boat. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said 313 rescue teams are deployed, over 100 of them in Ganjam and Gajapati.

Transport Minister B B Jena said NH-16 is operating again as the Bahuda river recedes. Sections of NH-326 near Ledbandh in Gajapati were washed away, and a landslide at Taptapani Ghat on the Gajapati-Ganjam border halted traffic. Several trains remain cancelled or short-terminated because of waterlogging.

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Patrapur Got 54 cm in a Day

OrissaPOST reported that Patrapur block in Ganjam recorded 54 cm of rain in 24 hours, which the Chief Secretary said was more than the district’s annual average. The Rushikulya river is overflowing, with a 30-foot breach near Achhuli and bridges and roads washed away; Dasamaili village was under nearly 10 feet of water. Sorada, Aska, Bhanjanagar and Purushottampur were among the worst-hit areas. IPB News tracked the cyclone’s landfall in its live coverage, and had earlier reported the school closures in six districts and the extremely heavy rain warning.

Central Team Arrives on 2 November

A central team is due in Odisha on 2 November to assess the flood damage. The state has sanctioned another ₹20 crore for Ganjam and posted 30 senior OAS officers there. President Droupadi Murmu has cancelled her 3 November visit to Odisha, according to PTI. The government has not yet given a damage or crop-loss estimate, and the number of people still cut off has not been published.

Source: Based on reporting by The Assam Tribune (PTI/IANS), ANI, ThePrint (PTI) and OrissaPOST.

Image: OrissaPOST.