Odisha government distributes free sanitary pads in flood-affected areas

Proper medical care along with sanitation measures is essential for women/girls who are marooned due to the floods, wrote Odisha special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena in his directive

Published on: Aug 22, 2022, 13:12:00 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Floods have wreaked havoc in Odisha over the past few days, with the deluge affecting more than 700,000 people in 10 coastal and interior districts, but one of the most remarkable measures taken by the state government is to distribute free sanitary pads to girls and women in the marooned areas.

Police personnel conduct a rescue operation after several people were washed away by the flooded Mahanadi river in Odisha. (PTI Photo)

“Proper medical care along with sanitation measures is essential for women/girls who are marooned due to the floods. Hence, you are requested to kindly instruct CDMO to procure sanitary/hygienic as emergency sanitation measures (emergent relief) and distribute them to women/girls in the marooned areas. The cost of such expenditure shall be borne by SRC out of SDRF,” wrote special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena in his letter to collectors of the 10 flood-hit districts of Khordha, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Boudh.

The flood situation in Balasore and Mayurbhanj, located on the Subrankarekha river basin, continued to be grim with hundreds of villages in the seven blocks getting marooned by the rising river water. With Galudih barrage in Jharkhand on Subarnarekha river releasing 600,000 cusecs of water, it continued flow above the danger level in Rajghat area of Balasore.

As per data from the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of Subarnarekha at Rajghat was 11.90 metres at 9 am today against the danger level of 10.36 metres. As per CWC’s forecast, the water level may go down to 11.50 metres at around 9 pm today. Similarly, Jalka river was flowing at 6.54 metres at Mathani in the district at 9 AM against the danger level of 5.50 metres.

Also Read:Odisha floods: Rescue operations launched in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts

“We expect the floods in Subarnarekha to be the biggest flood in more than a decade. People in 74 gram panchayats of 4 blocks have been affected. More than 40,000 people have been shifted to 208 safe shelters. Rescue operations are going on in marooned villages. Hot cooked meals are being served in shelters,” said Balasore district collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde earlier in the day.

Four blocks in Balasore – Baliapal, Bhograi, Jaleswar and Basta, and three blocks of Mayurbhanj – Rasagovindpur, Saraskana and Badasahi, are likely to be affected by the floods. Excess water has inundated several low-lying areas of Bhograi and Baliapal blocks. Around 25 villages in Baliapal block have been marooned by the flood.

As many as 27 panchayats in two blocks of Odisha’s Bhadrak district are reeling under flood-like situations due to the rising water levels of the Baitarani river.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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