Panic over houses getting water-soaked

Odisha Channel Bureau Kendrapara, Jan 2: People in several parts of Odisha’s Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts are scared a lot even as reports of houses getting water-soaked following the unseasonal rain pour in various parts of the district.The inner walls of both pucca and kutcha houses have got wet.The house floors have also met the same fate.With water deposited on floors, it has got slippery.Residents are panic stricken while nurturing the fear that faulty construction and enfeeble plinth foundation may have led to the trend. The unusual trend has developed since noon hours today as there was sporadic and intermittent rain in both the districts.“All of us frightened.It is appearing an unnatural phenomenon.In past years, it has rained in winter months.Low pressure had also occurred in the past during peak months of winter.But this sort of water deposit on floor and walls were never witnessed earlier,” remarked a local resident of Kendrapara township, Sabir Khan.“The kitchen utensils are getting wet.Slippery floors have to our misery.We have made queries.But nobody has any clue on it.We are apprehensive,” said a homemaker, Sashmita Tripathy.“We are panicked.The floors have got wet.The walls have become water-soaked.The wetness in the house has aggravated the bone-chilling cold.It appears as if the water seepage occurred due to faulty building design,” said another local resident, Rebati Raman Das.However, officials allayed fear and said there is no cause for worry.Executive Engineer, Roads and Buildings, Kendrapara division, M.A.Khan said “these sorts of things occur due to faulty designing and substandard building construction.However as there are reports of houses getting wet invariably in all the places, this might be due to fluctuating atmospheric condition”. Sarat Chandra Sahu, in-charge-director of Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar said “It’s rare meteorological phenomenon.There is no reason for people getting scared.The moisture content in the atmosphere is very high at present.“The evaporation process of moisture is very low.This has led the excess moisture deposited on various surfaces such as buildings, house floors, walls and household articles.Once the temperature rises, the moisture would be evaporated,” Sahu added.