At least two women died while as many villagers managed to survive after being swept away in a flash flood due to incessant rainfall in Odisha's Malkangiri district, official sources said on Friday. About 6,672 Bonda tribes remain cut off from rest of the world as the road connecting to Bonda Hills was washed away in the calamity.
"Of the four persons swept away in the flash flood in river Oringi on Thursday, bodies of two women are recovered while the remaining two of the same village returned home on Friday," said special relief commissioner (SRC) PK Mohapatra. The deceased were identified as Malati (42) and Phulmani (42), Mohapatra said adding that Bonda Hills, the home of about 12,000 Bonda tribes, a particularly vulnerable tribal group remained out of reach because of the landslide and washing away of the only road.
While the tribes men and women in Upper Banda Hill remained safe, about 6,672 Bondas living in plain located in Khairput and Undrahal gram panchayats have been affected due to incessant rainfall since two days, Malkangiri district collector M Muthukumar told PTI over phone. He claimed that there was no casualty from Bonda community though they had been disconnected due to landslide.
The collector, however, said that at least 10 teams of officials have been instructed to reach the affected Bonda tribes by walking on foot. "We will be able to start free kitchen for Bonda tribals from Saturday morning," the collector said. According to the district administration, many houses have been damaged in the rain and roads washed away.
"We will be able to enumerate the exact house damage in two to three days," Muthukumar said. The district administration, however, said that it had already opened a free kitchen for about 170 persons at Oringi village under Khairput block. A report said two villages Gangrajgumma of Mathili gram panchayat and Ataiguda of Dungiapur GP were marooned due to flash flood in Saptadhara and Garia Nala rivers.
The affected people at Atalguda of Dungiaput GP have taken shelter in nearby Ashram School and free kitchen has been opened for about 60 persons.
Flood water was over flowing at Poteru bridge and also at Kangrikunda bridge. However, flood water receded as there have been no much rainfall today, Muthukumar said. The road from Gobindpalli to Jeypore was cut off as the approach road of Saptadhara bridge was washed away due to flood.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the district administration of Malkagiri to give ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each to the families of the two women who died in the flash flood by on Friday night. After reviewing rain and flood situation in the four districts - Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Nawarangpur, Patnaik asked officials to restore road communication immediately within 24 hours.
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