Terming the severe floods in Orissa as man-made, Congress on Tuesday accused Biju Janata Dal government in the state of failing to provide relief to marooned people after exposing its inability in preventing the calamity.
"The devastating flood in Mahanadi river system was nothing but man-made. It was the outcome of state government's inability to properly manage water in Hirakud dam," Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik told mediapersons.
The sudden floods could have been averted if the government had taken timely action in managing water in Hirakud reservoir in an effective manner, he said after a Congress team visited several flood-ravaged areas.
Hitting out at the Naveen Patnaik regime for the manner in which flood situation was handled, Patnaik alleged the government's role in undertaking relief and rescue operation in the aftermath of the floods was also dismal.
Plight of lakhs of flood-hit people was multiplied as the administration was ill prepared to deal with the situation, the Congress leader further alleged relief materials could not be sent to the marooned people as most of the boats available for the purpose were non- functional.
In several areas relief materials were yet to reach, while boatmen were not available in many cases for running the vessels with relief materials, he claimed.
A large number of breaches took place in Mahanadi river system submerging almost half of the state as the government failed to repair and strengthen embankments at weak points, Patnaik alleged.
Fear of outbreak of water-borne diseases loomed large in the absence of safe drinking water and food, the Congress leader said asking the state government to carry out relief work on a war footing.
