HORRIFIC TRAIL OF DEVASTATION FROM BRAHMAPUR TO B’GAON

By: HEMANTA KUMAR PRADHAN

Having experienced a ferocious cyclonic storm Phailin on October 12 last at Brahmapur, I along with a few fellow reporters undertook a motorcycle journey on the October 13 morning to see how the monstrous storm had wrecked havoc and left a trail of devastation in coastal Ganjam and its neighbouring districts.

As the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted that the cyclonic storm would badly affect the villages and towns between Balugaon and Brahmapur, we decided to start our journey from Brahmapur to Balugaon to get a first-hand report on the ravages of Phailin. Though the wind speed had deceased considerably, we were still haunted by fear of the wind turning frightful again.

We visited various places of the city and captured photos of heaps of rubble, uprooted trees and electric poles and snapped wires across the city.From the First Gate of Brahmapur to the Gopalpur junction, the city wore a fearful look. Most of the old and new trees had toppled, while water was running over road from Roland Institute to Gopalpur junction as Bahana Nala had overflowed. The main road connecting NH-5 was disconnected. We looked for the shortcuts but they too had been blocked as uprooted trees kept lying over them. So, we took a bypass road via Lanjipalli over bridge to reach NH-5 so that we could move to Balugaon.

When we crossed Lanjipalli, we got to know the death of a child at Bijipur in wall collapse and another similar case at Gosani Nuagaon in the city. Storm didn’t show any mercy to the telephone towers and electric poles and transformers. The telecommunication and electricity supply was badly hit. We visited Ayodhya Nagar, Gajapati Nagar, Lochapada and Aska Road and saw the areas in ruin. The Brahmapur railway station was also destroyed. The kutcha and asbestos houses were badly affected in the storm near the station.

We managed to cross streets of the city with much difficulty as they had been filled with damaged branches and leaves and broken electric poles rounded with wires. We touched the NH-5 and set off for Balugaon. On the way, a truck driver told us that a few lorries had turned turtle near Konishi after being hit by the cyclonic storm. The wind was still blowing at a high speed, enough to shake our motorcycle, in which we were travelling. But it hardly had the strength to shake our determination to move ahead and see the large-scale devastations and wreckages.

The low-lying areas with paddy crops to the right side of the NH had been fully submerged. During our journey, we passed many petrol pumps beside the NH, which too had faced the ire of the cyclone. With their shades damaged, most of them had shut down. We hardly saw any people or any vehicle on the road. A dead silence had reigned supreme everywhere. We crossed Jagannathpur junction and then Mandiapalli, which connects Gopalpur beach via Berhampur University. Two reporters who camped at the university campus joined us at the junction. What they told us about the devastation the university had gone through was shocking. The university was famous for its greenery having thousands of trees, but the storm had stripped it of its pride possession and rendered it barren. It hurt us when we knew that the dreaded storm had not spared the deer park, classrooms and hostels inside the campus of the university.

We took a glance of a high school near the NH at Chamakhandi, which was filled with broken trees. Then we saw a few village roads connecting the NH filled with uprooted trees. Most fruit-bearing trees had been badly damaged. We reached the district headquarters town of Chhatrapur. The Collectorate and residence of the Collector had been affected. The storm had not spared a single building with asbestos roof. Educational institutions had been damaged. We visited the people in the relief centre at Onslow High School. While talking with the poor people of the cyclone-hit area, we were told how the victims had undergone a harrowing experience on the previous night.      

Our team resumed journey and passed the Tampara Lake after Chatrapur. The gigantic mango, coconut, jackfruit and eucalyptus plants along NH were kissing the ground. We came across a damaged roadside hotel A1 dhaba near the lake where three lorries had overturned. Then we crossed the overflowing Rushikulya and reached Purunabandha-Binchhanapalli cyclone shelter after Ganjam town. The fishermen were about to leave the shelter as wind had been quite slow. Taking some dry food given by the administration, the fishermen were leaving the cyclone shelter for their homes, but they looked to be stressed with anxiety, apprehension and fear about the safety of their houses and the belongings, especially the fishnets and boats.

An electric sub-station at Humma had been damaged. After crossing the Palur junction, we reached severely affected coastal villages such as Podagada, Jhatipadar, Barapalli under Ganjam block. We stopped at Sai dhaba where two lorries had met a mishap. We reached Gopinathpur coming under Ward 6 of Rambha NAC. Out of total 14 families living in the village, 12 kutcha houses were badly damaged. Coconut trees, bamboo and eucalyptus trees had toppled over houses. Two persons were injured due to the sudden fall of the trees, said a homeless villager Rama Nath.

We then moved towards a few severely affected villages like Jharedi, Kantapada, Sipakuda and Madhurchua near the Chilika lake. We got to know that a few fishing villages near Sabulia were also affected when water of the lake gushed into their villages. We were astounded after seeing a huge loss of fruit-bearing trees in the groves. Before reaching Badaghati, we saw a village road to Pana Nuagoan filled with uprooted old trees and a damaged autorickshaw near a huge tree. On the day of the cyclone, driver Parameswar was killed after a huge tree fell down on him while crossing the road.

We wanted to move to Khallikote, but a local advised us not to go there as the road was not clear. We continued our journey and reached Keshpur at 9am. The Chilika water had entered the paddy fields and inundated many villages of Pathara panchayat. When we reached Balugaon, we found people slowly coming out of their houses. Everywhere, we saw heaps of debris and fallen and broken trees.

People everywhere were demanding relief like dry food since people had lost their homes and belongings in the gale. Starving children were staring at us helplessly. As relief had not been supplied to them in time, angry locals near Balugaon were preparing to hold a road blockade on NH-5.

Source: The Pioneer