States » EastPosted at: Nov 2 2026 8:53PM


Cyclone Arnab affects over 2.10 lakh people in Odisha; 1.41 lakh evacuated :Minister

Bhubaneswar, Nov 2 (UNI) Cyclone Arnab and the subsequent heavy rainfall and floods have affected 2,10,920 people across 41 blocks, 488 gram panchayats and 2,137 villages in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts of Odisha, State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Monday.
In urban areas, 307 wards across 23 urban local bodies have also been affected by the disaster.
Chairing a high-level review meeting to assess the post-cyclone situation and ongoing restoration measures, Pujari said that 1,41,797 people had been evacuated to safer locations as a precautionary measure. The evacuated people include 579 pregnant women from vulnerable areas.
The Minister said landslide debris had been cleared at 13 locations in Kukudakhandi and Patrapur blocks of Ganjam district, while clearance work was continuing at eight other locations. A landslide-related road obstruction in Bhanjanagar had been completely cleared.
Of the 124 road breaches reported across 14 blocks, restoration work was underway at 42 locations. Repair work was also in progress on 186 damaged roads across the affected blocks.
In Gajapati district, landslide debris had been cleared from 19 road locations across six blocks. Vehicular movement had been restored on five roads affected by flooding, while repairs to 11 damaged roads across three blocks had been completed. Temporary restoration work was continuing on one road in Gosani block.
In Kandhamal district, 15 of the 31 reported road breaches across three blocks had been repaired, while work on the remaining 16 was in progress. Repairs to seven damaged roads had been completed, with restoration work continuing on another 31 roads.
Meanwhile, landslide debris and accumulated soil had been cleared from 15 locations along roads in Gunupur area of Rayagada district.
The Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL) has undertaken extensive restoration work to normalise electricity supply in cyclone- and flood-affected areas. According to the company, power supply has been restored to 99.05 per cent of the affected consumers under its jurisdiction.
Of the total 17,88,942 affected consumers, electricity supply has been restored to 17,72,028, while 16,914 consumers are still awaiting restoration. The company has completed repairs to all 46 affected 33 KV feeders. All 130 affected 33/11 KV substations and 658 affected 11 KV feeders have also been restored.
Restoration work in Boudh, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Gajapati and Koraput districts has reached its final stage, with teams working to restore electricity to the remaining consumers.
The government has also intensified efforts to restore drinking water supply in the affected districts. A total of 45,722 tube wells were affected, of which 4,475 have been restored and disinfected. Of the 393 affected rural piped water supply schemes, 247 have been restored, while 265 have undergone disinfection.
To ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply, the administration has deployed 235 water tankers, 80 tractor-mounted Sintex tanks and 84 diesel generator sets. Nine mobile water treatment units have also been deployed in Ganjam and Kandhamal districts.
In addition, 4,22,300 packaged drinking water bottles and 3,18,500 water pouches have been distributed among the affected people. Berhampur Municipal Corporation has been provided with 23 water tankers and two mobile water treatment units, while seven tankers have been deployed in Asika Municipality.
Disinfection of water bodies is continuing across the affected areas to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.
The Health Department has deployed Rapid Response Teams and mobile medical teams in the affected districts to monitor the health situation and prevent possible outbreaks of diarrhoea, malaria and dengue in the aftermath of the floods. The teams are providing medical assistance and keeping a close watch on vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, Odisha has deployed specialised disaster response teams across vulnerable districts as part of its preparedness measures for the approaching weather system.
In Ganjam, 32 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, totalling 35 teams, have been deployed. Gajapati has been provided with nine ODRAF teams and one NDRF team.
Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri have each been assigned three ODRAF teams and one NDRF team, while Kandhamal has four ODRAF teams and two NDRF teams. Three additional teams have also been deployed in Nabarangpur, official sources said.
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Tags: #Cyclone Arnab affects over 2.10 lakh people in Odisha; 1.41 lakh evacuated :Minister
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