20 lakh marooned in Orissa floods

Kendrapara, Orissa: After the central India rain havoc, floods have now affected large swathes of eastern India. More than 20 lakh people in Orissa are living in misery as flood waters of Mahanadi have destroyed their houses, crops and cattle.

Desperate villagers in the flood-affected areas of Kendrapara in Orissa have taken shelter on roof-tops after their belongings and cattle were washed away.

Floodwaters of Mahanadi have destroyed over 4,000 villages across 12 districts in Orissa.

Kendrapara, Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur are the worst-affected districts, where over 20 lakh people have been marooned in the current wave of floods.

The Met department has predicted more rains in the next 24 hours, in which case the situation is likely to worsen further.

According to weathermen, the situation might worsen as another low pressure trough has formed over the Bay of Bengal, which might bring in more rain and more misery in the next 24 hours.

"Our cattle are washed away. My house is completely under water. I don't know how we will survive," said Sarat Ku Rout, a flood victim, Kendrapara.

The Orissa Government has so far evacuated 20,000 people from the flood-affected areas and all schools and colleges have been closed for the time being. Authorities have called in Rapid Action Force for rescue operation.

"Our relief and rescue operation is continuing and we have asked for more boats from Assam," Jagadananda Panda, Special Relief Commissioner of Orissa, said.

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