Odisha CM Majhi surveys flood-hit Ganjam, Gajapati; orders faster relief
Synopsis
Cyclonic storm Arnab has left over 84,000 people stranded or displaced across Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts in South Odisha. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took to the skies on 30 October to personally review the damage and ordered officials to fast-track food, water, healthcare, road restoration, and power normalisation — all simultaneously.
Key Takeaways
CM Mohan Charan Majhi conducted an aerial survey of Ganjam and Gajapati districts on 30 October 2026 following flooding caused by cyclonic storm Arnab .
Ganjam is the worst-hit district with 42,564 affected people; Gajapati follows with 30,000 and Kandhamal with 12,000 .
Villages are waterlogged, roads and infrastructure are damaged, and landslides have been reported across South Odisha .
Relief camps have been set up; the administration is delivering food, drinking water, and healthcare round the clock.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari accompanied the CM during the aerial survey.
Officials have been directed to restore roads, normalise power supply, and prevent post-flood health complications.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday, 30 October 2026, conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected Ganjam and Gajapati districts to assess the damage wrought by cyclonic storm Arnab and to review the pace of rescue and relief operations. The survey underscores the scale of the crisis, with over 84,000 people across three districts impacted by what officials describe as one of the most severe flooding episodes in southern Odisha in recent years.
Scale of the Disaster
Cyclonic storm Arnab triggered relentless heavy rainfall that left several villages waterlogged and thousands of residents stranded across South Odisha. Extensive damage has been reported to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure due to waterlogging and landslides. Ganjam district recorded the highest number of affected people at 42,564, followed by Gajapati with 30,000 and Kandhamal with 12,000. Residents from vulnerable and low-lying areas have been evacuated to safer locations, and relief camps have been established to shelter those displaced by the floods.
What the Chief Minister Said
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, CM Majhi stated, “I consider the protection of the lives and property of the people of the State during a disaster to be my highest priority.” He further directed officials to expedite relief and rescue operations without delay. “The entire administration is working round the clock to ensure that food, drinking water and essential healthcare services reach the affected people without any disruption,” he added.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari accompanied the Chief Minister during the aerial survey, signalling high-level coordination in the state’s disaster response.
Government Directives and Relief Measures
CM Majhi instructed district administration to remain fully alert on three fronts: restoring damaged roads, normalising power supply, and preventing post-flood health complications. Relief camps are currently operational across the affected districts, providing food, drinking water, and healthcare to displaced residents. Officials have been put on round-the-clock duty to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential services.
Appealing directly to affected residents, the Chief Minister said, “In this difficult time, your government stands firmly with you. Please have courage, stay in safe places, follow the instructions of the local administration and rescue teams, and extend a helping hand to one another. Together, we will overcome this crisis very soon.”
Context and What Comes Next
South Odisha is no stranger to cyclone-linked flooding — the coastal and hilly districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kandhamal lie in a high-vulnerability corridor that is frequently battered during the Bay of Bengal’s cyclone season. This comes amid the broader pattern of increasingly intense Bay of Bengal weather systems, which meteorologists have linked to warming sea-surface temperatures. Officials are expected to conduct damage assessments for infrastructure and agriculture in the coming days, with compensation and rehabilitation processes likely to follow. The state government has affirmed it will stand by affected communities until normalcy is fully restored.
Point of View
But the harder test lies in execution speed. With over 84,000 people affected across three districts, the convergence of waterlogging, road damage, power cuts, and post-flood health risks creates a logistical matrix that high-level visits alone cannot resolve. South Odisha’s recurring vulnerability to Bay of Bengal cyclones raises a structural question: how much of the infrastructure rebuilt after each event is genuinely flood-resilient, and how much simply repeats the same exposure cycle? Majhi’s directive to address road restoration and power supply in parallel is the right instinct; whether the district machinery can deliver at that tempo will be the real measure of this government’s disaster management capacity.
NationPress
30 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is South Odisha flooded in October 2026?
Cyclonic storm Arnab brought heavy and sustained rainfall to South Odisha, causing widespread waterlogging, landslides, and displacement across Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kandhamal districts. The region lies in a high-vulnerability coastal and hilly corridor frequently affected during the Bay of Bengal cyclone season.
How many people have been affected by the Odisha floods?
More than 84,000 people have been affected across three districts: Ganjam with 42,564, Gajapati with 30,000, and Kandhamal with 12,000, according to official figures. Residents from low-lying and vulnerable areas have been evacuated to relief camps.
What has Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi directed?
Chief Minister Majhi has directed officials to expedite relief and rescue operations, restore damaged roads, normalise power supply, and prevent post-flood health problems. He personally conducted an aerial survey of Ganjam and Gajapati on 30 October 2026 to review the situation on the ground.
What relief measures are in place for flood-affected residents?
Relief camps have been established in affected districts to shelter displaced residents. The administration is working round the clock to ensure food, drinking water, and essential healthcare services reach all affected people without interruption.
Who accompanied CM Majhi during the aerial survey?
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari accompanied Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during the aerial survey of flood-affected Ganjam and Gajapati districts on 30 October 2026.
