Bhubaneswar: Deaths due to snakebites are emerging as a major disaster in Odisha as at least 1716 persons have died from snakebites between 2014-15 and 2017-18.
Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi informed this to reporters here Saturday even as snake population is dwindling across the world.
Snakebite has been declared as a ‘State Specific Disaster’ by the state government beginning April 1, 2015. The district collectors have been reporting deaths from snakebite to the SRC. As many as 1716 such cases have been reported from 282 blocks of 30 districts till 2017-18, Sethi said.
While 446 people died in 2015-16, 574 in 2016-17 and 696 in 2017-18, he said.
The number of deaths reported due to various disasters in state during last 3 years (from 2015-16 to 2017-18) was 4689. Out of this, number of deaths due to snakebite is highest, which is about 37 per cent of total number of disaster deaths, the SRC stated.
Balasore district recorded the highest deaths (164) followed by 147 in Ganjam and 145 each in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts. Besides, 114 deaths have occurred in Bhadrak district, he said, adding, these five districts have recorded more than 100 deaths from snakebite in the last three years.
Sources said, farmers, labourers, poor men and women in rural areas are the victims. About 97 per cent of the victims are rural residents and 77 per cent of the deaths occurred due to lack of proper health facilities, the sources said.
According to the SRC report, 33 deaths have occurred in Basta block of Balasore followed by 28 in Chandbali block (Bhadrakh) and 26 in Gondia (Dhenkanal). There are 10 to 19 deaths from snakebites in 49 blocks, whereas 226 blocks have reported less than 10 deaths during the period. There are no reports on deaths due to snakebites in the remaining 32 Blocks.
Most of the snakebites have occurred between May and October. Out of 1716 snakebite deaths, 1464 deaths (85 per cent) have occurred during the six months.
A maximum number of deaths due to snakebites have occurred in July (314), followed by 306 in August, 281 in June, September (253), May (156) and October (154) in the last three years. The lowest snakebite deaths have occurred in January followed by February, March, December, November and April, the report elaborated. Official sources said snakebite deaths have been gone up but many snakes are being killed by people. That may be due to an increase in snake population and depletion of forests, where the reptiles dwell. A study which revealed the snake species is dwindling across the globe.
Environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty said, “The death of persons due to snakebites has gone up in the past three years due to lack of awareness and proper treatment at appropriate time. But, the decline of forest coverage is also a major concern, for which such cases are being reported.”
“The government has taken a record of human deaths. But none has taken note of the killing of snakes by human beings. Snakes are an endangered species in this country and across the globe. In Odisha, poaching and illegal trade of snakes are rising. But, no one is take measures to curb it,” Mohanty said.
The government should initiate steps to curb snake-human conflict. Otherwise, the snake population will disappear, he apprehended. The lack of proper healthcare facility and anti-snake venom in the government hospitals are major causes for human deaths in rural areas. When asked about the availability of anti-snake venom at hospitals, a senior health department official said, “Adequate number of anti-snake venom is available in various government hospitals through Odisha State Medical Corporation. The venom is being provided to district, sub-division and also block level hospitals.”
