An acute shortage of safe drinking water has compounded the suffering of thousands of people affected by floods in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts of southern Odisha. Days of inundation caused by cyclone Arnab have left families struggling to access food, clean water, sanitation facilities and medical assistance.
With hand pumps submerged in stagnant floodwater, residents say that the few functioning tube wells are supplying potentially contaminated water, raising fears of outbreaks of water-borne diseases. “The biggest problem is drinking water. Rescue boats are the only means of reaching the main road,” said Santi Behera, 43, of Rajapur village in Ganjam district. Balabhadra Sahoo, 55, of Biripur village in the same district, said his family had lost its home and crops in the floods and was now struggling to obtain drinking water.
Ranjan Sahoo, 63, of Badamadhapur village in Chatrapur block, Ganjam district, said polluted floodwater had left villagers with little choice but to avoid cooked meals.
Meanwhile, the Housing and Urban Development Department has deployed teams from the Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) and the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) to oversee drinking-water supplies and sanitation arrangements in flood-affected areas.
All water sources, including community water facilities, are to be cleaned and disinfected. Post-flood sanitation and the restoration of hygienic conditions are also being prioritised, said Anisha Kar, public relations officer with the Information and Public Relations Department of the Odisha government.
Suresh Pujari, the revenue and disaster management minister, said the department was prepared to provide assistance to flood victims. Four helicopters were being used to transport food packets to isolated areas, with airdrops planned at 21 identified locations. Officials and field-level staff had been deployed to ensure the safe distribution of relief materials to affected residents, he said.
The minister added that health teams were distributing drinking water, halogen tablets and medicines in the affected areas. The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department had also been instructed to step up the supply of potable water through tankers.