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500,000 people still marooned in Orissa

Even after ten days about 500,000 people still remain marooned in flood-hit coastal Orissa, official sources told rediff.com on Wednesday

Most of the marooned people are from Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kenderapara and Puri districts.

Though the flood situation has improved with water level in all the major rivers receding, large parts of affected areas are still under water, which is causing worry to the officials involved in relief and rescue operations.

It is estimated that over 2000 villages are still surrounded by floodwater.

Orissa Chief Secretary D P Bagchi said that over 500 villages and 65 gram panchayats in Jajpur district are still surrounded by Brahmani floodwater. He admitted that over 100000 people are still marooned in Jagatsinghpur district.

Similarly, in Puri district 260000 people in 353 villages are still surrounded by water.

However, sources in special relief commissioner's office said that so far 800000 people have been evacuated from different places and shifted to safer places.

But nearly one million people still don't have a roof over their heads. Most of the homeless people have taken shelter at river embankments and highways.

As per the latest official figures about 8.5 million people have been affected by the flood in over 12,000 villages in 20 districts out of the 30 in state.

The flood has already claimed 98 lives and cases of water borne diseases including diarrhoea are increasing alarmingly.

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