Swollen rivers spell more disaster

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BHUBANESWAR: With the flood situation in northern Orissa further worsening, the State Government on Sunday intensified airdropping..

BHUBANESWAR: With the flood situation in northern Orissa further worsening, the State Government on Sunday intensified airdropping of food packets as 3,003 villages remained marooned. The death toll has increased to 17. "As water level continues to rise in the Brahmani river, more and more villages are getting marooned," Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro told mediapersons.
More than 3,000 villages are inundated and about 10 lakh people are encircled by flood water. Bari block in Jajpur district and Rajnagar, Aul and Rajkanika blocks in Kendrapara district have been severely hit with no communication links, he said. A senior IAS officer is camping in Bari block to supervise rescue and relief operation. A large number of people are taking shelters on rooftops and they need to be evacuated, the minister said, adding floods in the Brahmani river could further worsen.Though the Water Resources department had been regulating Brahmani floods from Rengali dam, it could not help reduce the flood fury downstream, the Minister said.

As the flood water entered fresh areas, the Government continued airdropping of food packets with the help of four choppers. Two more choppers will soon be added in the operation, Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra said. "More that 1.39 lakh people have already been evacuated. The Government has asked the district collectors of Kendrapara and Jajpur to shift people from lowlying areas," he said after a review meeting.

Meanwhile, the Government has banned transportation of minerals on the National Highway5 in order to keep the road free for movement of relief materials.

mORE reports, p 5