Flood-hit Orissa limping back to normalcy

Balasore (Orissa) Jun 24: Authorities in Orissa's Balasore District today said that relief material including food and medicines has reached all the marooned villages and the affected people, and termed the situation as under control. The air dropping of food packets in the affected areas, that has been on for the last four days, is likely to be stopped after officials claimed that relief had reached all the affected villages.

"Flood water has receded and in all the rivers, water level is below the danger level and the situation is completely under control," said Alekh Choudhary, Collector, Balasore. The area received a record rainfall of 700 mm for three days that has affected hundreds of thousands of people. Though it stopped raining in the region on Friday, the floodwaters have turned villages into islands.

According to reports, over one million people have been marooned during the floods. Experts said that a depression in the Bay of Bengal caused the floods.

ANI