Bhubaneswar: The residents of Pandakudia, resettled after being evacuated from the Kalinga Stadium area during the World Cup Hockey, still crave normalcy even after six months since the cyclonic storm, Fani, hit Odisha.
A visit to the site revealed that the residents in the resettled colony are still struggling with housing and sanitation issues and a lot of the lost infrastructure is yet to be recovered. As a result, existence for many families is tough with the additional woes of settling in this colony.
A number of residents complained that the roofs of houses that blew away during Fani have not yet been reconstructed due to financial issues. “When cyclone Fani hit the city, most of the rooftops in our colony, having asbestos base, blew away. Several houses still have open roofs as many cannot afford to reconstruct them. We need government support to compensate for our losses,” said Jhuna Behera, a resident of the resettled colony.
Housing is not the only issue that the residents are struggling with. Lack of sanitation and toilet coverage has also escalated the issue of hygiene in the neighbourhood. With toilets destroyed in the severe cyclonic storm, open defecation has become rampant.
“Even after six months since Fani, around 15 houses from our colony are left with destructed toilets. Most of them cannot afford to rebuild their toilets. The soaked pit common toilets offered by the government are in deplorable condition too. This has compelled many to defecate in the open in nearby jungle areas,” said Ahalya Digal, another resident of the area.
People complained that due to three issues—lack of toilet coverage, the practice of open defecation and open unhygienic drains—have triggered cases of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.
The houses of many of these families suffered complete destruction. They rebuilt the houses with the government fund of Rs 35,000 which was provided to each household when they shifted to these colonies.
The residents agree that the government was prompt in assisting the region with food, water and electricity during Fani but lack of toilet assistance and compensation for the reconstruction of destroyed houses are still making life tough for them. Noted environmentalist and water issues expert Ranjan Panda said, “The situation of Pandakudia is grim. They had taken loans to construct their houses and now many of them have lost their shelter.
Their land rights in the area are also not secured. Their fate still hangs in balance. The government needs to help them.”