Bhubaneswar: Joining the ongoing debate over Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik’s description of the recent flood as manmade, senior Odisha minister Suresh Pujari Thursday blamed the previous BJD government’s “failure” to implement mitigation measures during its 24-year rule for the disaster.
Pujari, the revenue and disaster management minister, also claimed that more than 10,000 people died in four cyclones from 1999 to 2024, while no loss of life was reported in three cyclones after the BJP came to power in the state two years ago.
However, according to officials, of the 11 deaths and six people reported missing following Cyclone Arnab, 10 people died in landslides in Ganjam and Kandhamala districts, while one man was swept away in floodwaters in Gajapati district.
Pujari said, “I have high regard for Naveen Babu, who was the CM for 24 years. But do you have any answer on the loss of human lives in calamities during the BJD tenure?”
The flood management by the Mohan Charan Majhi government is certainly the best in the recent past, as no human casualties were reported in Cyclone Arnab and the floods, except in landslides, he told reporters.
“As many as 9,866 people died in the 1999 Super Cyclone during the Congress period. Seventy-two people lost their lives in Cyclone Titli, 45 in Cyclone Phailin, and 65 in Fani under the BJD tenure,” Pujari said.
He said the Majhi government has faced three cyclones-Dana, Mantha and Arnab-during its 28 months in office.
Pujari said there is no such scientific forecast or prediction of landslides in India. “However, we are undertaking studies on such incidents to avoid human casualties in future,” he said.
Rejecting the opposition’s allegations of a “manmade flood” in Ganjam, Pujari said the state government was prepared for a detailed debate on the matter in the Assembly, which commences November 18.
He alleged that though the BJD remained in power for nearly two and a half decades, its government failed to take adequate steps toward providing long-term solutions for floods and other natural disasters.
The minister said the Majhi government’s work is not limited to relief and restoration alone, but includes a long-term strategy to prevent and minimise the impact of similar disasters in the future.
Pujari said the state government is working with various IITs to make flood management more scientific and sustainable.
Also Read : Naveen Patnaik calls Ganjam floods ‘Manmade’, seeks accountability
Experts are being consulted to identify the actual causes of flooding, improve drainage systems, manage rivers and waterways, and develop measures to reduce future risks, he said.
Explaining the reasons behind the flood in Ganjam, Pujari said unprecedented rainfall for three days between October 28 and 30 during Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, inundated several places.
“The actual rainfall in Ganjam and adjoining districts was much more than the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast,” the minister said.
He said Patrapur block in Ganjam received 808 mm of rainfall in three days, followed by 560 mm in Samalhemundi, 543 mm in G Udaygiri and 462 mm in Soroda.
“The rainfall in Ganjam was the fourth highest rainfall recorded so far in the state. The highest rainfall of 595 mm was received at Balangir in 1995, the minister pointed out.
Pujari said the state government had made elaborate arrangements for cyclone and flood mitigation, but the intensity of rain was unprecedented and unexpected.
A day ago, Chief Secretary Anu Garg had also blamed it on the unprecedented rains as the reason for the Ganjam flood.
Earlier, Patnaik had described the Ganjam floods as a “manmade crisis” and held the state government responsible for the disaster. He demanded accountability for the lapses for which a large number of people suffered.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das asked why the chief minister, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, remained silent even after such a massive flood.
He said, “If proper water management was indeed carried out, why does the chief minister not come forward with evidence to substantiate it?”
Das alleged that whenever the administration faces a difficult situation, those at the helm of the central or state governments often prefer to hide behind the bureaucracy rather than face the public directly.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 482.42 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by Cyclone ‘Arnab’ and subsequent floods in six districts.
The funds are sanctioned to the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department to expedite repair and restoration work in the affected districts, officials said.
The six districts are Ganjam (Rs 306.54 crore), Gajapati (Rs 109.97 crore), Kandhamala (Rs 42.57 crore), Nuapada (Rs 15.08crore) and Nabarangpur (Rs 7.78 crore). Rayagada district has been sanctioned Rs 97.60 lakh.
