CUTTACK: Even as fresh areas in Cuttack district faced inundation despite receding trends in the river systems, a major mishap was averted when a seven- member relief team was rescued from a boat capsize at Gobindpur under Kantapada block on Sunday evening.The team was returning on a country boat after delivering relief supplies at the marooned villages of Gobindpur panchayat at around 8.15 pm when the vessel capsized in the Devi river.The members, mostly comprising schoolteachers and village-level workers, however, hung on to a submerged tree.Acting on an SOS, the district administration rushed an ODRAF unit with powerboats to the mishap point but by the time the people had been rescued by locals.OVER 170 VILLAGES CUT OFF: Meanwhile, the number of affected villages rose to 430 in the district with as many as 174 totally cut off from the mainland.More than 17,128 persons had to be evacuated or shifted to safer places.About 6,087 persons from 22 villages under Kantapada block were evacuated on Sunday as the Devi surged into newer areas.More than three lakh population has been seriously affected in the floods with crop over 32,050 hectare suffering damage.As per current estimates, about 523 houses have been swept away or damaged in the floods.Though no major breaches were reported, a section of the embankment road at Matgajpur in Cuttack City caved in due to seepage early on Sunday.There were also reports of around 10 minor incidents on the embankments in other places of the district.Collector Girish SN said relief and rescue operations had been intensified across all the blocks.While the State Government has been requisitioned for air dropping relief and food supplies at the cut-off areas of Banki, 60 free kitchens have been opened at different places.“We have deployed over 70 motorboats to accelerate relief supplies.Vigil on all the vulnerable points has been intensified and fortification of the embankments is on, he said.
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