Students in flood-hit Jajpur district are now experiencing a harrowing time as the high floods have shattered their hopes and dreams. They have lost their textbooks, clothes and other study materials, rendering them handicapped to resume their studies.
Besides, breakdown of power supplies and collapse of telecommunication in the affected areas have also contributed to the complete disruption in virtual learning by the students.
“Although we live in a pucca house, the floods did not spare us. The high floods in the Baitarani and Kani rivers entered our houses and damaged everything.
My son Subham’s textbooks have got completely soaked and are very unlikely to be restored to readable conditions. He will now be deprived of continuing his studies,” said Satyasekhar Nayak of Jagannathpur under Binjharpur block in Jajpur district. Saibalini Samal, a resident of Jajpur district, said her daughter’s virtual classes have been affected as the power supplies to the area was snapped following floods in the Baitarani, Birupa and Brahmani rivers.
“The power supplies in Jajpur have been seriously affected due to the floods in major rivers. My daughter’s virtual classes have been discontinued as we fail to charge the mobile phones,” said Saibalini.
In Bari which has borne the brunt of high floods in Baitarani and Birupa river systems, children in the flood-hit villages have almost left the hope of resuming their studies in near future.“Several villages under Bari block area have remained marooned for nearly seven days now. Hit by the high floods, the villagers have completely lost all their household articles, including study materials of their children.
They are now surviving on food supplied by Government agencies and voluntary organisations,” said Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo , a social worker who distributed relief in the area on behalf of Anshuman Memorial Trust Relief Team.
Sahoo urged the Government to immediately send new textbooks and other study materials and demanded restoration of power supply at the earliest to enable the students resume their studies.