The Blink Bureau/ 30.10.2026: The Odisha government has identified 21 locations in flood-affected Ganjam district where emergency food and drinking water may need to be delivered by helicopter.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari confirmed that defence helicopters had been requisitioned because rescue personnel could not reach some settlements.
According to the minister, powerful water currents prevented even modern rescue boats from reaching certain locations.
More than 100 rescue teams are operating in Ganjam and Gajapati, out of 313 teams deployed across Odisha.
Approximately 50,000 people were described as severely affected in Ganjam.
The administration is preparing to deliver food packets to inaccessible settlements.
The available reporting confirms the requisition and preparations, not completion of all 21 proposed food drops.
A 30-foot breach reportedly developed along the Rushikulya River near Achhuli.
A bridge near Patashala was washed away.
Dasamaili village in Dharakote block was reportedly under nearly 10 feet of floodwater.
Road communication between Aska, Berhampur and Sorada was severely affected.
Approximately five feet of water was flowing over the Tankachhai–Hinjilicut road.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the administration had initially anticipated that Malkangiri could be among the worst-affected districts.
He acknowledged that the exceptionally heavy rainfall in Ganjam had not been anticipated at that magnitude.
However, earlier IMD warnings had identified Ganjam among the districts vulnerable to extremely heavy rainfall.
The distinction is important: forecasting extremely heavy rain does not necessarily mean accurately predicting a localised 546-mm event.
The question is whether emergency planning adequately considered the consequences of rainfall substantially exceeding normal design assumptions.
