The Super Cyclone of 1999 was a tragedy of unprecedented dimension and its fear continues to hunt people of the worst-hit areas in the State.
About 97 blocks of 12 districts, besides Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and 28 NACs were worst sufferers of the gale. 125.9 lakh people of the State were hit.
The devastated gale had swept the Odisha coast on October 29 and 30 and was one of the most ravaging natural disasters that mankind has experienced in modern times.
Ironically, the State Government remembers the cyclone by declaring October 29 as Disaster Day every year.
As the State Government prepares for the anniversary on October 29 this year, certain realties stare us in the face. Thanks to official apathy and irregularities, several victims of the tragedy are yet to get compensation. Similarly, the reconstruction work in several areas has also been less than satisfactory, and it has compounded the tragedy of the victims after passing of 17 years.
After the Super Cyclone, the State Government basically put emphasis on relief and rescue operations. But very negligible importance has been given to the preventive measures to be adopted to combat the gale in long term.
The Government has been facing criticism for shoddy post relief and reconstruction works. There was a plan to construct multipurpose cyclone shelters at 1 km distance each along the State coastline but the project has remained incomplete. Other major programmes pending include coastal high way between Gopalpur and Digha, conservation of decline mangrove forests, afforestation, drainage improvements, improvement of saline and river embankments, etc.
After the Super Cyclone, the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority [OSDMA] was set up by the Government to formulate community-based disaster preparedness. Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force [ODRAF] was created for the purpose of meeting trained manpower need during the calamites.
According to Government sources, almost all the damaged schools have been repaired or rebuilt but maintenance remains a challenging task as no funds have been earmarked for the purpose. Many cyclone-cum-school buildings in Ersama, Balikuda and Kujanga areas are allegedly in bad shapes because of the poor quality of materials used and lack of maintenance.
The dense mangrove forests which grew naturally in Jagatsinghpur coast was providing a permanent barrier against cyclones and tidal surges.
Unscrupulous clearance of trees have made the coast bare and exposed its vulnerability to natural disasters like cyclone. So restoration of mangrove forests requires an urgent attention, suggested environmentalists.
The Odisha Government instead has cut down 2 lakh trees in Kujanga coast to clear land for the much hyped Posco steel project and deforestation is rampant in coastal region.
