Flood relief material being loaded into a chopper in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. (PTI)

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 15: The Centre today informed the Orissa government that an inter-ministerial team would visit the state within a week to assess the damage caused by the floods in the state.

According to the latest report available with the state government, over 20.71 lakh people living in 3,973 villages in 94 blocks of 19 districts have been affected by the flood.

The number of deaths caused by the flood has also risen from 22 to 26. Twelve persons, who have gone missing, are believed to have been swept away by the floodwater.

Revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patra said: “All the district collectors have been directed to complete enumeration of damaged houses, deaths of livestock and human casualty by September 25. After the state government receives the report, a final report on the damage will be prepared, which will later be sent to the Centre.”

Chief secretary Bijay Patnaik said: “All the victims of the flood will be given assistance as per the Orissa Relief Code. The affected people will get assistance for their damaged houses by October 5. Necessary instructions have been issued in this regard.”

According to the Orissa Relief Code, the next of kin of a person, who has died in natural disaster, will get a financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh. The house damage assistance will vary from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10,000 according to the extent of damage caused to a house by a natural disaster. Similarly, the livestock assistance will vary from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1,000 in respect to the damage. Those who have lost their utensils and clothes will get an assistance of Rs 2,000.

In order to ensure that the right people get flood assistance, Patnaik said: “All who receive the assistance will be photographed. Their damaged houses will also be photographed. An official of the rank of joint secretary will be put in charge of a block to supervise and monitor the entire work.”

Though people continue to have a hard time in the flood-hit areas of Gop, Kanasah, Delnaga, Nimapara in Puri district and Mahakalapada in Kendrapara district, the government claimed that they had been able to reach out to most of the flood-affected villages. Government authorities also said that while reaching out to the flood-victims, they had a special focus on the affected districts of Puri, Kendrapara and Cuttack.

Incessant rainfall in various parts of the state today has, however, further raised concern of officials involved in relief and rescue operations. People living on the embankments of the Mahanadi river system are also passing through a bad phase.

Rural development secretary S.N. Tripathy said the flood had caused damage to nearly 928 roads. He also said that a total of 469 breaches have taken place in rural pockets, causing damage to the tune of Rs 17 crore. “All out efforts are being made to repair the roads,” said Tripathy.

Works secretary Subhendua Ray said the flood had damaged 1,485km roads, causing damage of about Rs 20 crore. Health secretary Anu Garg assured that steps had been taken to provide healthcare to the flood-affected people.

The latest report, however, said 10 gates of Hirakud reservoir were opened late on Thursday and the water levels were receding in most areas.