In Odisha four floods created chaos across state

DASARATHPUR (JAJPUR): Tears roll down her face as Manjulata Sutar, 44, sits by her youngest daughter on the embankment of Kani river at Dobabhil-Patana village in Dasarathpur block of Jajpur district.

Key points

• As per latest data, over 11.65 lakh individuals in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Kendrapara districts have been hit by the latest spell of flood.
• Balaram Das and Bideshi Das of Dapa remarked their paddy crop has been completely destroyed.
• For almost 100 families in Dobabhil-Patana, the river embankment has become home.
• For Golak Patra of Patana village, the devastation has already wiped out an entire agricultural season.
• For Manjulata, the flood has not just taken away her house or the crop; it has stripped the family of its sole breadwinner.

On August 8, Maheswar was relieving himself when a portion of the soil on the river embankment caved in near the breach in the Kani river, a tributary of Baitarani river. He was swept away in the flood current. The body was recovered two days afterwards.

For Manjulata, the flood has not just taken away her house or the crop; it has stripped the family of its sole breadwinner. Of her four daughters, the eldest is married. Biswaranjan, the 24-year-old son, is a Class III dropout and jobless. Piecing life together again will take years.

For almost 100 families in Dobabhil-Patana, the river embankment has become home. Their houses have remained submerged in two to three feet of water since a fresh breach occurred in the Kani embankment on August 4. Humans and cattle now live side by side on the narrow stretch of raised land.

Throughout more than a dozen villages in Dasarathpur, among the worst-affected blocks in the current floods, residents are facing their fourth spell of inundation this monsoon. Every time the water rises, families leave their homes, move to embankments and erect tarpaulin sheets over whatever little space they can find.

Those with two-storeyed houses have taken refuge on rooftops. But there are few such families. For most, the embankment is the only available refuge.

Notably, the immediate challenge is for food, shelter and safety. The bigger battle is for survival after the water recedes. Jajpur has emerged as the worst affected district with more than 3.98 lakh population affected and crop damage documented on over 18, 642 hectare.

As per latest data, over 11.65 lakh individuals in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and Kendrapara districts have been hit by the latest spell of flood. Crops over 85, 465 hectare stand damaged.

In fact, farmers in a number of villages have virtually given up on their paddy crop after standing water remained on their fields for almost a month. Dipu Barik of Kuaran Sahi village in Dasarathpur remarked paddy can generally withstand being under water for around 15 days. This time, nevertheless, the water has stayed far longer. "There is no hope left for the crop, " he remarked.

In practice, the damage to vegetable crops is particularly severe. Umakant Dash, a teacher at Dobabhil UP School, remarked most families in the area depend heavily on cultivation of vegetables grown near the embankments. But the floodwaters of the Baitarani have destroyed the crop. Fields where vegetables were grown are now covered by six to eight feet of water. Notably, the water will eventually recede, Dash remarked. Until then, individuals will survive on administration relief.

"But what after that?" he asks. This question hangs over almost every flood-hit village. The school where Dash teaches has remained closed for more than 20 days. He believes it may take another 10 days to reopen.

For Golak Patra of Patana village, the devastation has already wiped out an entire agricultural season. He cultivated paddy on five acre after taking a loan. The crop is gone. His family is now living on the embankment, surviving with the support of administration relief. "What after all this is over?" he wonders.

Even after the water recedes, farmers will need another three to four months before they can grow vegetables again. With the paddy crop lost and vegetable cultivation pushed back by months, immediate relief by the administration may keep families going. But livelihood will be a major ask.

Notably, the hardships on the embankments go beyond food and shelter. There are no toilets, making life particularly tough for women and children. Member of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) Babita Patra. This person visited the flood-affected individuals, directed the Jajpur sub-collector to produce arrangements for toilets for women.

Despite the pain of loss, families are reluctant to move to government-run flood shelters. A shelter opened in an upper primary school at nearby Jayantara has fewer than 200 individuals. Patra and the sub-collector have been urging women and children to move in. But the villagers have their own reason for staying on the embankments: They want to keep watch over their submerged houses and cattle.

For context, the picture is similar throughout the Baitarani basin. At Kanpada in Tihidi block of Bhadrak district, floodwaters completely inundated Kanpada Dakshin Pari village. The water has receded somewhat, allowing individuals to approach their homes. In Tal Ka Pada and Dapa villages, nevertheless, floodwater from the Baitarani and Salandi has left residents marooned.

Meanwhile, the farmers here face the same uncertainty. Balaram Das and Bideshi Das of Dapa remarked their paddy crop has been completely destroyed.

Meanwhile, the visit of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to Kaspa, Asureshwar and other badly affected villages in Jajpur and Bhadrak on Monday, nevertheless, raised hopes that difficulties will finally obtain a lasting solution.

For now, in Odisha four floods created chaos across state remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.