A submerged tube well at Gundichapada village in Jajpur. Telegraph picture

Jajpur, Oct. 23: Phailin has unleashed untold miseries in several areas of the district, but the shortage of drinking water has hit flood victims the most.

At several villages under Kanyan, Kamardihi, Nizampur and Duduranta gram panchayats, which fall in the worst affected Dasrathpur block, The Telegraph found the flood-hit people were finding it tough to have enough water to drink, bath and manage household chores.

Despite tall claims of the district administration, the affected villages have hardly any means to access safe drinking water. With all facilities going under water, tube wells remain the only source of water for the villagers. But the fear of water-borne diseases is keeping villagers away from tube wells.

Over 30 villages under these four gram panchayats are not the only ones to suffer from drinking water scarcity. Several other villages under 10 gram panchayats in the block are facing a similar fate ever since waters of the Baitarini and Kani flooded these areas.

Those living in the villages of Gundichapada, Kanyan, Ichhapur, Laxminagar, Gopobandhu Nagar, Gahirapal, Dyubakana, Dharampur and Darabha have also been badly hit.

As floodwater has not receded from these areas and water bodies getting polluted because of the deluge, traditional sources of water have become less.

Bhimsen Das of Gundichipada village said: “All the water bodies in the village were submerged in floodwater. Stagnant water has polluted ponds.”

“Although the water has receded in some areas, tube wells are yet to be disinfected,” he said.

Lack of clean water has also forced many flood victims not to take bath for days together, a villager said.

“I haven’t taken a bath for the past 10 days. The tube wells are discharging muddy water. We have informed the authorities concerned but nothing has been done so far,” said Raghav Parida a resident of Kanyan village.

Jajpur collector Anil Kumar Samal said: “About 1.5 lakh water pouches have been sent to the flood-affected 44 villages under 14 gram panchayats of Dasrathpur block. The distribution of relief materials is also being monitored”.

Chief district medical officer Dr Binayak Prusty said: “As many as 17 teams have been dispatched to the flood-affected villages of the district to disinfect the tube wells and other water sources. These teams are also taking care of hygiene issues to prevent an outbreak of water-borne diseases.”