Nearly 36 lakh people affected by cyclone

Bhubaneswar: A total of 35.95 lakh people in Odisha have been impacted by cyclone Dana and subsequent flooding in 14 districts, State’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Sunday. Pujari also said as many as 8,10,896 people were evacuated to 6,210 cyclone relief centres.

The worst-hit districts include Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak, while human casualty “still stands at zero”, he told reporters here. “By 10.30 am of Sunday, evacuated people were sheltered in 1,178 cyclone relief centres and they are being provided cooked food and other essential items,” the minister said.

Polythene sheets are being given to people who lost their houses in the calamity. He said cyclone Dana, which struck early on Friday, has affected people in 1,671 gram panchayats under 108 blocks spread over 14 districts.

According to preliminary reports, around 5,840 houses have been fully or partially damaged due to the cyclone and subsequent flooding, Pujari said. “Whenever there is a disaster, people lose their houses and get compensation. This time, we want to bring a permanent solution to the problem and provide pucca houses to them in a phased manner,” he said.

The Odisha government was also planning to undertake a survey of kutcha houses located in cyclone and flood-prone areas of the State. Pujari also said there has been “huge crop loss” in the aftermath of the cyclone, which hit the eastern coast early on Friday, triggering torrential rain and high-speed winds.

Referring to the swollen Budhabalanga river, which has mostly affected Balasore district, he said the water level in the river has remained static and below the danger level, “but above the warning sign”. “As the rainfall has reduced in the region and the upper catchment area, the water level in Budhabalanga will not increase further. We hope the situation will improve by this evening,” Pujari said.

The minister said Kansabansa river in Balasore district is also in spate and affected some villages under Soro block. A Central team is likely to visit Odisha to assess the damage, he said.

Replying to a question referring to Opposition BJD’s claim that four persons died due to the cyclone, he said the deaths had “nothing to do with the calamity”.