Thaindian News

Bhubaneswar, Sep 12 (IANS) The Orissa government Monday stepped up relief efforts in the wake of floods that have left 17 people dead and 11 missing in the last one week as thousands were rendered homeless, officials said.

Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Mohapatra told IANS the government was focusing on areas where waters have started receding and according priority to health and restoration of water supply and communications.

Four helicopters are air-dropping food packets in the districts of Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada, where many villages continue to be waterlogged and communications were cut off.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik who made an aerial survey of the affected areas for the second day said his government is trying to rush relief material to the victims.

The floods, triggered by heavy rains over a week and release of vast quantities of water from Hirakud reservoir in the district of Sambalpur, about 350 km from here, has caused havoc in 19 of the state’s 30 districts.

At least 21,816 houses have been damaged in about 3,505 villages. At least 50,000 people were evacuated from the low-lying areas Monday, taking the total number of people moved to safer places in the past three days to 150,000.

“They have been provided with emergency food assistance” the official told IANS.

He said said at least 11 people were swept away or drowned in flood waters. “Their bodies have not been found.”

The regions worst hit by the disaster include the western district of Subarnapur, and coastal districts of Jagatsinghpur and Puri. “The situation is likely to improve further as rain has stopped,” he said.