Cyclone Arnab floods Ganjam, 300 villages cut off; Odisha plans airlift with Home Ministry

The Odisha government is coordinating with the Union Home Ministry to airlift people stranded in Ganjam district. A senior state official said on Thursday that heavy rain and flash floods caused by Cyclone Arnab have cut off about 300 villages in Ganjam from the rest of the region.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have begun rescue work. She said the weather is bad, with low cloud and continuing rain, so airlifting people out could be delayed.

According to officials, Soroda is among the worst-affected areas in Ganjam. After three days of extremely heavy rain, the Rushikulya river is in spate and water has entered nearby towns and villages. At Aska, the river is flowing close to the danger mark.

Digapahandi block has also had continuous rain for the past two days, flooding several areas.

Garg held a review meeting on the situation in the state capital. She then told reporters that Ganjam has been badly hit by the rain. She said about 300 villages are still surrounded by water and the state government is in touch with the Union Home Ministry to arrange airlifts.

Garg said, "The state government is in touch with the Home Ministry and arrangements are being made to airlift some people from the cut-off areas. The Indian Coast Guard will provide a helicopter and make the necessary arrangements."

The government plans to airlift 120 people in the first phase. Garg said the operation could remain on hold until the weather improves.

Garg said, "We hope the rain will ease and our rescue teams will be able to reach the affected people. We have sent one more ODRAF team to Ganjam, and a senior officer is monitoring the evacuation activities."

Odisha Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena said most of the stranded people are in villages in Sanakhemundi and Aska blocks.