18/10/2011
Floods in Orissa claim an average of 33 lives every year and destroy property worth Rs 322 crore despite better means of rescue at the disposal of the administration.
Floods in rivers like Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Brahmani, Baitarani, Vansadhara and Rushikulya during monsoons lead to
loss of lives and property.
"Between 1980 and 2011, altogether 1,043 people have lost their lives in floods while crops and property worth Rs 10,000 crore were lost in the state during the same period," a senior official in the special relief commissioner's office said.
At least 83 people were killed while 10 others went missing in the flood last month although rescuers are now equipped with helicopters, power boats, satellite phones and other aides.
The year 1982 saw the highest number of casualties when 126 persons perished in the devastating flood in the Mahanadi river delta, comprising Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur districts, and river Rushikulya in the southern districts of the state, records available with the Orissa State Disaster Management Authority said.
"The livestock casualty is also very high. Since the state's economy is predominantly agrarian, loss of livestock due to flood has a significant bearing on its economy," G K Panda, professor in geography at Utkal University, said.
He was quoting a study report prepared jointly by UNDP, OSDMA and the university.
