Floods take 33 lives every year in Orissa

As the state recuperates from its recent tryst with the destructive force that are floods, the average death toll in Orissa due to floods every year presents a sorry figure. According to statistics, floods cause 33 deaths and Rs. 323 crores in property lost and destroyed every year on an average. The Government is still at a loss on how to control the spate of the mighty rivers like Mahanadi, Baitarani, Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Rusikulya and Bansadhara.

According to an official of Special Relief Commissioner, “between 1980 and 2011, altogether 1,043 people have lost their lives in floods... Similarly, crops and property worth more than Rs 10,000 crore were lost during the same period.''

This year has been particularly bad, with a series of depressions over Bay of Bengal causing heavy to very heavy rainfall over all catchments of all river systems during September. As a result, floods occurred in all major rivers causing damages to life & properties.

At least 83 people were killed and 10 others went missing during the flood last month. This has been the most destructive flood since the flood in 1982. in the whole of the year this year, a total of 126 people have lost their lives. Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur district were mostly affected, a report says due to the flooding of the Rusikulya river.

Similarly, the annual average loss of livestock population is nearly 3,500. But during years of major floods like in 1980, 1994 and 2007, the loss of livestock population was 40116, 33,600 and 21,674 respectively.

According to the state water research Department secretary Suresh Kumar Mahapatra, “The previous record of property loss in flood was Rs 2,740 crore in 2006. The loss of Rs 3,265 crore this time was a preliminary estimation. The actual loss could be much more.''