Painful memories of 1999 flood for seaside villages in Jagatsinghpur

Sources said villagers of Kalabedi, Silai, Padampur, Gadbishnupur, Janakadeipur, Nardia and Goda panchayats are living in fear of tidal waves since last year.
Women collecting sand to protect their asbestos roofs in Sandhakuda | Express
Women collecting sand to protect their asbestos roofs in Sandhakuda | Express

JAGATSINGHPUR: Every cyclone brings back memories of the 1999 nightmare to the seaside villages of Jagatsinghpur. ‘Yaas’ is another one.With the cyclonic storm billed to grow into a very severe one and the met department predicting high tidal waves of up to four metre, panic has gripped residents of Erasama block, especially villagers of Gadaharishpur and Padampur panchayats which are situated close to the sea.Adding to the villagers’ worry are the new embankment mouths which are yet to be closed by the authorities concerned. There is fear that villages will be submerged if tidal waves ingress due to impact of the cyclone ‘Yaas’.

In August last year, a new mouth was created on the saline embankment near Kalabedi in Padampur due to frequent soil erosion, causing a 500 metre breach. Later, local MLA and Water Resources Minister Raghunandan Das along with Jagatsinghpur Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra visited the spot at Kalabedi and assured to take steps to close the new mouth. However, no steps have been taken in this regard so far.

Sources said villagers of Kalabedi, Silai, Padampur, Gadbishnupur, Janakadeipur, Nardia and Goda panchayats are living in fear of tidal waves since last year. Now with the sea turning rough due to ‘Ýaas’, the threat of erosion and tidal waves looms over the region. The most scared are villagers residing near the shore as waves are reaching the human settlements.Similarly, villagers of Kadamnasi, Noliashai, Gadaharishpur, Patharkunda and Andi are expecting ingress of tidal waves during the cyclone as the saline embankment near Noliashai is still incomplete.

Dillip Das of Noliashai said, “I live in a kutcha house, If tidal waves enter the village, my house will collapse. Panic has gripped my family and many other households after the weather forecast as the saline embankment is still not complete.”Echoing similar views, other villagers Narayan Das, Lalu Das and Trilochan Das said around 4,000 families of six villages are facing the threat of ingress of tidal waves which will also cause severe damage to crops.

Erasama BDO Kailash Behera admitted that the situation in Kalabedi and Noliashai is grim. “I have instructed the local sarpanch to take immediate steps for evacuation of villagers. We have set a target to evacuate nearly 10,000 people living in low-lying areas to safer places,” he added.Meanwhile, as it took shape of a cyclonic storm, ‘Yaas’ brought rains in its trail across the coastal district on Monday.Urging people residing in low-lying areas and kutcha houses to shift to cyclone centres, Collector Mohapatra said the administration has supplied masks to people who will be housed in the shelters. Cooked and dry food besides drinking water have been supplied to each cyclone shelters.

Those suffering from fever and cold will be made to undergo Covid tests. If found positive, they would be housed in local schools for three days in isolation. All facilities will be provided to infected persons and they have to strictly adhere to safety protocols. All block development officers and executive officer of Paradip Municipality have been instructed to start evacuation by maintaining Covid guidelines.In the afternoon, Principal Secretary of Higher Education department Saswat Mishra, who has been deployed in Jagatsinghpur for cyclone management activities, conducted a review meeting with district officials about preparedness as well as rescue and relief operations.

With the system moving over the Bay of Bengal and getting closer to the coast, torrential rains hit Paradip, Kujang, Tirtol, Erasama and several other areas. Roads wore a deserted look as residents stayed indoors.With the showers and wind, water-logging and disruption of power was reported in seaside villages. On the day, the administration extended the lockdown relaxation by two hours to facilitate people stock up essentials in view of the impending cyclone. 

However, though grocery and vegetable shops remained open till 1 pm, people failed to procure their requirements due to the rains which started from 10.30 am. Many traders, especially vegetable vendors, were also forced to close shops before the scheduled time due to the downpour.

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