Cyclone Murasu largely spared Odisha on November 3, but farmers in the state's southern districts are still counting losses from the flooding that followed Cyclone Arnab, which struck on October 28, Down To Earth reports.
Standing paddy, maize, pulses and vegetables have been damaged across Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal. "We have lost the paddy crops. How we will repay our bank loans?" said Paresh Behera, a farmer from Bikrampur village in Ganjam. Mahendra Sahoo of Handighar village said floodwater destroyed the paddy he had grown on three acres over four months.
Farmers said many had not insured their crops and feared inadequate compensation. Radish, okra, beans, brinjal and gourds were also lost, and local farmers said this had pushed up vegetable prices. Malati Mallick of Anchuli village said the Rushukulya river destroyed the vegetables on her two acres, which she had hoped to harvest in December. In Gajapati, Sumitra Nayak of Gothakeli village said her family lost three acres of maize.
As the water receded, farmers found fields covered in silt and crops rotting. Sunil Kumar Bisoi, a Zilla Parishad member in Gajapati, called for a special compensation package.
Nearly a week after the storm, several villages remained without electricity, and residents complained of inadequate relief and damaged communication networks.
An eight-member central team led by Ravi Shankar, joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry, reached Bhubaneswar on November 2 to assess the damage, and the state has ordered crop loss surveys. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said compensation would follow the assessment reports.
Reporting by Ashis Senapati for Down To Earth.
Photo: Kamalakant Nayak / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Source: Down To Earth
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