Orissa Flood- Could it have been averted ?

Orissa Flood-

Could it have been averted ?

By D.N Rath

Prepared on21-9-2011

In the age of high technology , globalisation, liberisation, one still remember Utkalimani Gipabandhu Das to reach the flood affected people of Orissa. Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das was reaching the flood affected people of Orissa in 1900s when there was no communication and the Britiish Govt. was indifferent and callous.

Gopabandu Das made his life a mission to stand by the people of state who were the victim of the sorrows of continuous floods. When ever there is a flood , even after 64 years of independence a calm, compassionate face with full beard appear before the eyes of the suffering people.

In the age of electronic media, TV’s live coverage , instead we find the figures of the leaders of the ruling parties with spotless white clothes, even garlanded in the flood affected areas, with erratic gestures and ready to be photographed or video graphed in TV and would send their message of concern to the people of the state in dramatic fashion.

The flood time too is too a merry making time for the family members of the officers, who make their trips to see the so called beautiful sceneries of the flood with their family members and friends.

Now we have all the modern communications but the Govt has no will power to reach the people and help the people. It is now considered all natural calamities are not only good business but reap political benefits for both ruling as well as the opposition parties.

The flood in the month of September in river Mahanadi caused immense loss of lives as well as properties. More than 20 lakh people of 19 districts, nearly two third of the state was affected by this flood. Out of 19 districts the situation in 9 districts was very serious. 2550 villages were badly affected. About 81 hectors of land was submerged under water destroying the crop (rice). The force of the flood water so forceful that two elephants were washed away in the torrent of flood water. Similarly many domesticated animals and people were swept away.

The relief operation was drop in an ocean only and the relief was not free from politicking. The flood affected people were even with out drinking water. There were water every where but not a drop to quench the thirst.

There was no medicine. Now, the water has receded but woes are more for the victims. The places like Sonpur the deluge after the drought has played a havoc in the life of the people. At present the Govt has declared only 3.505 villages as flood affected due to the flood in Mahanadi River. It has yet to declare flood affected areas caused by Baitarani, Brhahmani Budhhbalang in later phase. It is to be mentioned that the residence of North Balasore faced the flood for the third consecutive times in this year.

Between 2000 to 2010 there were about 10 floods and 4 droughts and 2 cyclones in the state. The loss is estimated to about 25 .557 crores of rupees. The state Govt. asked the assistance from the centre , 16.332 crore , 60 lakhs of rupees. But it received 943 crore , 52 lakhs of rupees. In 2006 flood , the loss was about 2382 crore of rupees . The Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh visited flood hit areas and promised to assist 200 crore of rupees but only 25 corer of rupees were given. Again in 2008 flood the loss was estimated to 2687 crore , 81 lakhs of rupees .The Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil visited flood affected areas. He promised to assist 500 cr. of rupees but state received only about 98 crore of rupees. Not a single calamity was ever declared as National Calamity.

The relief materials are found in market. There are all out corruption in the relief operation. The relief of rice is pilfered. Each 50 K.G.of rice weighs 40 kg. The Chuda which is the most convenient item during the relief has vanished from the market.

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The Privatisation of water and allowing the various industries to draw water from various rivers has measure role in flood. Apart from it obsession with the industrialization is too responsible for flood. The over use of the river water of Mahanadi and it’s adjacent rivers make it difficult to asses the water level in the Hirakud reservoir too. Most of the industries draw more water from the Mahanadi and it’s branch rivers than allotted to them. The recent droughts in western Orissa and other parts of the state is due to excessive, unchecked drawing of the water from the canals of Mahanadi leaving the canals and the branch canals meant for irrigation dry.

There are industries apart from Vedanta Aluminum Ltd, Orient paper mill, Aditya Aluminum, Indal Hirakud, SPC sponges, Ultra Magna Power,, Bhusan steel and power, Axson Ispat and Power, Shyam DRI, Vijay steel and Energy all are drawing water from Hirakud reservoir. About 14 industries are using water from Hirakud dam. The industries even digged their own canals to divert the water to their industries. There is no control over them and no monitoring is done by the Govt. The Govt’s frantic bid for industrialization at the cost of people’s interest is too reflected in water management and creating an imbalance between the inflow and out flow of dam water. The recent Privatisation of water on Mahanadi in Cuttack is a glaring example.

What is necessary is to revise the Hirakud reservoir norms, which is grossly violated.-

The Hirakud dam authority hardly cares to follow the rules of Curve. As per the Central guideline of Curve the Hirakud dam should be 590 feet in month of July and it should be maintained till 1st. of September. But the rule has been violated.

In the first week of July the storage was 595feet and July 20th it was 596.85 feet, which rose up to 607.27 feet on 1st August in contrast to recommended 590 feet. Then it rose to 620 feet.

On 7th September only 10 gates were opened and within 48 hours Mahanadi received more than 5 times water and the height was 625.60 feet. On 9th September the reservoir was 624.08 feet against full reservoir level of 630 feet. Out of 64 gates 59 gates were opened and one can imagine the level of devastation.

On 12th September there was full moon and high tide in sea preventing the release of water into the sea submerging the villages after villages and towns. Not only the coastal region of Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur but also the western parts of Orissa like Sambalpur, Sonpur and drowning the two third of the state

Could this flood have been avoided? Many believes that the flood in Mahanadi is more man made one.

There were incessant rain in upper basin And there was forecast by IMD of rain both in upper basin and lower basin. But the Hirakud dam was engaged in collecting the rain water in Mahanadi flowing from Chhatisgarh. It seems Hirakud dam authority was out of touch with IMD or just ignored the forecast, the reason best known to them. It is perhaps the Hirakud dam authority was collecting water to generate more electricity. It collected water to the level of more height than allowed in the log book. The Hirakud dam authority could have released the water slowly such that the flood in the lower basin could have been at least minimized..

If we look at the number of Gates opened of Hirakud Gates one can gauze the erratic handling of releasing of the water. There are 64 gates in Hirakud dam .On 27th&28thAugust , 6 gates were open , on 29th and 30th August 8 gates were open. On 31st & 1st& 2nd September 10 gates were open but on 3rd September the gates were opened in four phases. Accordingly, 10, 14, 18, and 16 gates. On 4th September, 18 & 22 gates were opened.

On 5th Sept. 22, 18, 14 & 12 gates were opened respectively. On 6th Sept. 12, 10,13&18. On 7th September 18,21,28, 33 & 36. On 8th September 36,41,42,&53 gates. On 9th. September 53,55, and 59. On 10th Sept. 59 gates remained open. Further on 11th 53,49,43,41 and 23. On 12th September 23& 10. On 13th& 14th September only 5 gates remain opened. Now fewer gates are opened. All these data are very revealing. Either the Govt. and it’s administration is callous or wanted a good calamity to harvest profit over it.

Hirakud receive 85% of rain water from Chhatisgarh. There is total mismanagement of Hirakud Dam. There is no doubt that this severe flood is caused due opening of gates abruptly. Which is a repeat action of 1982 as well as the 2008 floods and other floods too.

There is a necessity to change the rules and guideline of 1986 rules to check and control the inflow and out flow of Hirakud reservoir. The rules Curve has been developed by Central Water Commission in 1988 for flood control during monsoon and post monsoon . It is prescribed to maintain water level at 590 feet to 595 feet between July 1st to 1st of August. Over and it has also been prescribed to remain in touch with upper basin and to remain on alert according to IMD. This time the rainfall was heavy and unexpected in September. The Hirakud Dam authority was not at all prepared for the heavy rainfall in September and did not follow the Curve rule, They did not predict the release of water from Chhatisgarh. Many dams have been built in Chhatisgarh after 1988 and the Curve rules are not followed. In 2008, and 2009 also from June to August also when there was devastating flood in Mahanadi .

In 2006 , in Surat the water was stored in Ukai dam for the electricity generation violating the Central guidance of Curve causing unprecedented flood in Surat. Similar floods are taking place in other parts of the country and some time these floods are man made to divert the attention of the people from many issues and engage the people in their self repair from the losses of natural calamities

In all there were 48 breaches in different rivers of the coastal belts. One can understand the devastating effect of the flooding water just washing away the houses and submerging the field. For days the people could not be reached with relief materials. They had to depend on flood water to quench their thirst only to become sick. The air dropping was just a gimmick and a press show.

The Chief Minister of Orissa made an Ariel survey but left for the NIC meeting to Delhi.

Many speculate that this flood was created by the ruling party BJD keeping an eye on the coming Panchayat election. The BJD leaders with all the Govt relief materials reaching the flood affected areas with relief materials just to show how humanitarian they are! The Ruling party leaders reach there where TV crews can take their live coverage. Now they least care for the ordinary photographers of the news papers.

When the ruling party was busy in calculating to garner political mileage of the flood relief the flood in Baitarani and Brhahmani has played havoc in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Keonjhar districts again for which the ruling party was not at all prepared.

It is very shocking that Orissa prone to floods but there the Govt is not at all serious to handle it. Flood relief means corruption. It is good as profit over natural calamities. The moral and ethical standard of the ruling parties has gone down to so low that it is difficult to describe in words. In sensitivity, inhuman attitude for narrow political gain has become a normal practice. The peasants are committing suicides. The migration from Orissa in increasing day by day.

This flood was too created to divert the mind of the people from the POSCO Resistance movement in the State. Facing the torrential rain and the police atrocities, arrests the resistance movement of the people is going in full spirit against the POSCO.

The floods will precede the severe droughts The State is reeling under droughts for years. The drought affected areas like Kalahandi, which once drew the National attention when PM Mr. Rajeev Gandhi made his first visit, when he became PM, is still drought prone. Similarly half of the state is drought prone. The Govt. of Orissa has no political will power to face the drought and just ignore it. It has least concern for the drought in the state. The floods gives the Govt to draw what ever amount it can from the Centre and get the political mileage too.

The ruling opposition parties hardly organise relief work and just satisfied criticizing the Govt and do not care to organise the united movement of the people against the Govt. There is a total bankruptcy of the Congress party and other aspiring ruling parties so far raising the voices for the people. When the whole country is roused up against corruption due to Anna Hazare’s movement, a powerful movement against the corruption in relief operation during flood and callous attitude towards drought can be launched. But they have been habituated to pay lip service and hoodwink the people. But still some students and youths are still trying to reach the flood affected people with the relief materials, medicines with the doctors and saving the rich tradition of Utkalmani Gopandhu Das. Now it is the time for the State Govt. to ask for the central assistance and central Govt. to underplay the situation and there by giving a chance to the State Govt. to raise voice against the Central Govt of neglecting Orissa. Of course in the past the central Govt has not given assured assistance during natural calamities.

More over the Hirakud dam which was constructed for irrigation is violated when water is supplied for industrial use. The Dam is gathering silt at the bottom from the upper basin reducing the capacity of Hirakud reservoir. Of course the silt was cleared in 2007 spending 200 crore of rupees. Now it is going to be fourth year and yet no silting is cleared and canals are not repaired or the river walls to protect the villages are not properly maintained. Numbers of breeches are creating inundating village after villages. No lesson from the past has been taken yet to check flood. It is quite natural that when ever there is flood people would like to compare floods of the past. In many areas people said that they have not seen such water , the Prime Minister concerned over floods in Orissa has not yet visited the State and yet no central team has arrived in Orissa .

But the question will always linger whether flood of September 2011 could have been not averted?