Ganjam, Odisha:
It's a distance of seven kilometres from where the road link is cut off to the marooned village of Bhuan Bhoin in Ganjam district of flood-hit Odisha. And all that's in between are the swollen waters of the Rushikulya river that have inundated dozens of villages and thousands of acres of paddy fields.
For disaster relief teams, the only way to deliver ration is by motor boats. Ten minutes into the journey and a palm tree is a good indicator of the quantity of flood water down below. Only the top portion is visible. The trunk - 15 to 20 feet - is underwater.
Additional Collector Ashwini Mehra, who was transferred from his post in Bhubaneswar and appointed just 10 days ago in Ganjam, is here to assess the destruction and relief operations. Unlike politicians, like it or not, the administration has to face the aam aadmi on the ground.
Mr Mishra is immediately surrounded by 100 people who all complain simultaneously about the lack of electricity and the paucity of government ration that "suffices to only feed children." Mr Mishra explains that the village needs 10 quintals of rice and about 60 % has been delivered. The floods have made relief operations extremely difficult, he says.
Most homes here have been severely damaged by the double blow of nature - first cyclone Phailin and now floods. A strong stench pervades the air as muck and dirt rot away in the rain.
It's indeed a humongous challenge. Forget villages, even in Behrampur and Chattrapur towns, electricity has still not been restored. "At least one month it will take for their homes to be lit," Mr Mishra says looking at a huge tree that has brought down electricity cables.
Listening along is Ali Patnaik, a member of the state secretariat of the CPI (M). He gives full marks to the administration for their efforts but points out that as the government hadn't filled vacancies, it is impacting relief operations. "For the past many years nearly 50% of vacancies have not been filled. Relief is on aspect but the threat of disease cannot be taken lightly," he says.
The collectorate at Chattrapur itself is in shambles. Trees and hoardings lie all over in a town that resembles a war-zone. Dr Krishna Kumar, the district collector, tells NDTV, " Gods seem to be angry with me and Ganjam. Our biggest challenge is the fear of epidemic because we have seen three weeks of battering by nature. Drinking water supply, health system and sanitation have all gone haywire."
The administration is certainly over-stretched. Fatigue has set in and the long hours are not sustainable beyond a point. Mr Kumar confesses that if the need arises, he will put in a request for more men.
Back at the village a senior laments, "The government is behind us but we aren't finding any peace within."
Peace, for now, is indeed a tall order for Odisha's Ganjam district.