Pattamundai: Families in several villages of Kendrapara district are worried about the safety of their relatives working as plumbers in Nepal following devastating flash floods and mudslides in the Himalayan country.
Balaram Mohanty (72) of Belatala village under Pattamundai block is among those anxiously following television reports on the floods in northern Nepal. His son, Bikash Mohanty (42), has been working as a plumber in Kathmandu for the past 15 years and lives there with his wife and children.
“The footage of the devastation on TV leaves my heart pounding with fear and anxiety. My son and daughter-in-law Madhumita spoke to me on Thursday and told me that the situation in Nepal is grave. We are now praying for their safety,” Balaram said.
Bikash, speaking to this portal over the phone from Kathmandu, said several people had died in the flash floods and that many plumbers from Kendrapada work in different parts of Nepal.
“A frantic search is underway for many people believed to be missing. We suspect some plumbers from Kendrapada may also be missing, but we cannot name them at present. I have assured my parents not to worry about us,” he said.
Sasmita Swain of Khatipal village under Pattamundai block is also worried about her brother Bikash Swain, who has been working as a plumber in Nepal for the past 10 years. “I spoke to my brother on Friday and he told me that he was safe in Kathmandu. But many people in northern Nepal have died in the flash floods,” she said.
Deepak Swain, Prasant Swain and others from Khadipala village are also working as plumbers in Nepal.
Debashis Mohanty, a plumber from Balipatna village under Pattamundai block, said around 2,000 plumbers from Kendrapada district are working in Nepal.
“The Himalayan country is facing a severe crisis following massive flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-Tibet border that began on August 26. Several hundred people have reportedly died and recovery operations are underway,” he said.
According to Mohanty, floodwaters surged through the Bhote Koshi River, causing widespread destruction in Timure in Rasuwa district and the nearby Syafrubesi area. Timure, a border town and trading hub, has a sizable presence of Odia workers.
“Timure is completely gone and nothing is left. We fear the worst for the Odia plumbers working there,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bharat Behera of Aul, who had worked in Nepal as a plumber for around 10 years, is safe, according to his brother Barun Behera.
Several riverside villages in Pattamundai, Aul, Rajkanika and Rajnagar blocks are popularly known as “villages of plumbers”, as large numbers of residents work in plumbing-related jobs across the country and abroad.
The prosperity of these villages is evident from the large houses and rising land prices in and around Pattamundai, Rajnagar, Aul, Rajkanika and Kendrapada towns. Around 75,000 people from these areas work as plumbers in different states and abroad, according to trade union leader Jagjivandas.
“The migrant workers from the district have contributed significantly to the rural economy over the past six decades by sending home remittances worth crores of rupees every year,” Das said.
Assistant District Labour Officer (DLO), Kendrapara, Ashok Murmu said many plumbers from the district work in Nepal and several other countries.
“We have not received any information about the plight of workers from the district in Nepal till date,” Murmu said.