Bhubaneswar: Natural disasters such as flood, drought, cyclone and lightning among others claimed 468 lives during 2017-2018, the data from latest Odisha Economic Survey tabled in the Odisha Assembly recently highlighted.
While 459 people lost their lives in lightning in 30 districts nine people died due to floods that affected 13 districts in the same year.
The economic survey said during 1996-2015 the state was hit by drought seven times, flood twelve times, three cyclones, heat wave and pest attack. Loss of life, livelihood, property and infrastructure caused due to these disasters have put an impediment on the state’s growth trajectory.
The natural calamities apart from causing loss to life, property also impaired the growth of economy, the report said.
The economic growth of the state turned negative (-4.85 per cent) during the drought year of 1996-97. Similarly in the post devastating super cyclone of 1999, GSDP growth rate was -1.72 per cent in the succeeding year.
After two consecutive cyclone and floods in 2013 and 2014, the growth rate plummeted to 1.8 per cent in 2014-15 in comparison to a high growth rate of 9.3 per cent in 2013-14.
In 2017-2018, crop over 1,42,723.18 hectares in 24 districts were affected in the pest attack and as many 3,35,548.06 hectares of crop area was affected in drought that hit 15 districts in 2017-18.
Recent trends have shown that the frequency, intensity and extent of drought in the state are gradually on the rise leading to severe negative impacts on the agricultural sector in the state.
In addition the state is also affected by disasters like heat waves, pest attacks and forest fires.
The survey said nearly 35 per cent of all the cyclonic storms that have crossed the Eastern Coast of India have affected Odisha and the associated storm surges have often inundated large tracts of coastal districts.
The government has taken several measures including institutional arrangement, disaster preparedness, risk reduction measures for the management of disaster and to minimize the loss of life and property.
(UNI)