Bhubaneswar, Aug. 9: The state government today pegged the loss due to flash floods in the five districts of south Odisha - Korpaut, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi - at nearly Rs 218.72 crore. The comprehensive damage report was based on the information given by the various departments.
Special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said: "We have sent the report to the Centre today. We have also urged them to take up repair works of railways and national highways damaged by floods."
The disaster severely affected the lives and private as well as public properties in the affected districts. About 1.82 lakh people in 528 villages of 33 blocks of these districts were affected. As many as 83 anganwadi centres, 84 primary and upper primary schools and 38 high schools have been damaged by the floods in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.
The roads, culvert and bridges under the public works department had suffered the maximum damage caused by the flood and the department suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 60.79 crore.
According to the report, as many as 116 public works department roads, measuring 597.125km, have been damaged by the flood in the five departments. Also, rural roads measuring length of 128.32km have been badly damaged and 71 breaches have occurred on rural roads.
The loss of the water resources department was pegged at Rs 35.96 crore. The loss was because of a number of minor irrigation points becoming defunct and breaches in canal embankment. The energy department suffered a loss of Rs 4.63 crore as many transformers collapsed.
Other departments, such as rural development suffered a loss of Rs 48 crore, panchayati raj Rs 49.98 crore, animal resources Rs 67.35 lakh, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare Rs 10.09 crore, agriculture Rs 4.36 crore, forests and environment Rs 31 lakh, women and child development Rs 1.66 crore and mass education Rs 3.85 crore.
As many as 23,991 hectares of agricultural land, including 169.9 hectares of paddy nursery areas, 21,978 hectares of paddy area and 2,013 hectares of non-paddy area were affected by the flood.
