Cyclone Arnab Aftermath: Aska Market Submerged, Traders Face Massive Losses
Cyclone Arnab leaves Aska market submerged and residents devastated. Explore the financial losses and the call for permanent recovery in Ganjam.
The devastation wrought by Cyclone Arnab Ganjam devastation has left the Aska market and its surrounding regions in a state of ruin. For three consecutive days, the entire marketplace remained submerged under floodwaters, triggering a financial catastrophe for local traders and residents who are now left to pick up the pieces of their shattered livelihoods.
Traders Forced into 'Throwaway' Sales
As the floodwaters finally begin to recede, the scene at the Aska market is one of desperation. Business owners, facing the prospect of their entire inventory rotting, have been forced to sell damaged goods at a fraction of their original cost.
Garments that were originally priced at approximately Rs 400 are now being sold for as little as Rs 100 to Rs 150. Sarat Ghadei, a small-scale garment trader, revealed that his losses have already climbed to between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh. For larger commercial establishments, the financial blow is exponentially higher.
"It’s a disaster; the water rose fifteen feet here," Ghadei lamented. "If we don’t sell them, they’ll just rot completely. In the end, we’d have to throw them into the river."
Homes Submerged, Livelihoods Lost
The scale of the flooding was so severe that even concrete houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana were completely inundated. Many residents were forced to flee to higher ground to survive as the waters surged into their homes.
Paresh Nayak, a local fisherman, shared the heartbreaking story of his new concrete home, built with Rs 2 lakh in assistance from the PM Awas scheme, which was entirely swallowed by the flood. Nayak recounted how villagers had to rescue the elderly, women, and children from his home and the surrounding settlement.
"Lives were saved, but livelihood and belongings were lost," a local resident noted, while Nayak added that it could take four to five years for them to recover from this blow.
The Drainage Crisis: Man-Made Disaster?
Beyond the natural fury of the cyclone, locals are pointing toward human negligence as a primary cause for the severity of the flooding. There are serious allegations regarding rampant unauthorized constructions built directly over local drainage channels.
According to Paresh Nayak, these illegal structures have blocked the natural path of water flowing toward the river, turning heavy rainfall into a recurring nightmare of artificial waterlogging. He explained that because the water could not reach the river, it spilled over into residential areas and farmlands.
Political Response and Recovery Demands
Odisha PCC President BC Das, who visited the affected regions, estimated the total damage across the Ganjam district to exceed five thousand crore rupees. Das has called for more than just immediate financial compensation, urging the government to implement a long-term recovery plan.
- Infrastructure: A critical need to fix and modernize drainage systems to prevent future disasters.
- Financial Aid: A demand for adequate financial assistance to help residents rebuild.
- Permanent Solutions: A shift from temporary relief to permanent, disaster-resilient safeguards.
Government Action
The disaster has reached the highest levels of government. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the post-cyclone situation. The discussions focused on relief, restoration efforts, and the strengthening of disaster-resilient infrastructure.
Additionally, an eight-member Central Inter-Ministerial Team visited Odisha from November 2 to 4 to conduct a formal assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab.