The oceanic cyclone is not a new phenomenon in coastal part of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Cyclones used to be present in the Bay of Bengal, but these days, their severity is more and the magnitude of damages also enormous.
Gajapati, Phulbani, Ganjam and Rayagada which were affected by the recent cyclone Titli prove the point. Cyclones are not in the hand of the political parties whosoever rules, but certainly, they can prove their mettle by means of managing the disasters. Proper management, planning and ecological practices can certainly reduce the gravity of the situation.
The Eastern Ghat range runs parallel to the Bay of Bengal and extends from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and the State of Odisha, where major rivers of the south eastern zone have originated. Such rivers are mainly Mahanadi, Baitarani, Budhabalanga, Salandi, Rushikulya, Bahuda, Vasundara, Nagavali and Godavari river system. Besides, there are small rivers like Indravati. Hill streams, tidal rivers and rivulets are also present in the region.
While flowing down from the hills, the streams till meeting the coastal plains, form several watershed areas throughout the Eastern Ghat region. The Megasani watershed, Salandi -Basala watershed, Mankadnacha-Malygiri and Gandhmardan mountains of the Baitarni and Brahmani watershed are some of the examples. There are common watersheds between the Mahanadi, Rushikulya and Vansadhara. Also, there is common watershed of Potangi and Chandragiri mountain ranges.
These areas are mainly abode of tribals as well as forest dwellers. The main livelihoods of the forest dwellers and tribals are hill cultivations and collections of minor forest produces and disposal of the same in the local markets and to the regular traders.
The hill cultivations are known as shifting cultivations or cyclic-cultivations, but they practise the same in rudimentary raising of crops, not in same land in every successive year. They allow some rest to the cultivable lands for a few years to again come back over there. The shifting cultivation is a very destructive practice. There are 62 tribes and other ranges of forest dwellers in the State.
The Titli affected hilly districts like Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Ganjam districts are most tribal-populated.
The cultivations of different types of crops like paddy, Ragi, Jawar , Bajara, turmeric and ginger etc are cultivated massively. Besides, pineapples are also cultivated by the forest residents, throughout the hilly regions.
But these crops are unscientifically cultivated in the erodible top surfaces of the hilly regions, which are most vulnerable to massive soil erosions. The people of these districts on October 11 were hard hit by cyclone Titli due to unscientific management of hilly regions for human habitations.
Agriculture is a State subject. But an unscientific approach to the vulnerable hills leads to landslides. There must be definite scientific green management plans for regular cultivations of cultivable, agricultural species in these vulnerable areas to ward off soil erosion and landslide.
At present, the State Government and the Government of India are spending enormous capital for developing agriculture, but without proper planning and soil conservation practices. In the hilly regions, the landslides and avalanches are very usual.
So, adequate soil conservation measures need to be taken to prevent such disasters and the great losses of lives and properties.
Now, most part of southern Eastern Ghat is barren due population pressure. So the soil is unstable and prone to denudation. As such, large scale rehabilitation measure of such degraded forests needs to be carried out to face the disastrous situations.
The rescue homes to provide shelter during disastrous situations should be sufficiently built in these areas to prevent large scale casualties of human beings.
If we take the case of the Mahendra Taneya river, it originates from Mahendragiri hill of Eastern- Ghat, which comes within the ambit of Gajapati district. A great damage was done to the population of the region by the Titli cyclone. About 57 people died. The watershed areas of the river and the peak were hit hard which are increasingly becoming barren due to several factors caused by man.
The height of the peak is 1,501 meters from mean sea level. The slopes are very steep and erodible. So ‘Titli’ wrecked havoc in the area.
Again, the northern seacoast of Bay of Bengal was divested due to oceanic cyclonic rainfall. A large land mass was submerged due to such rainfall.
The stagnated water caused havoc in Odisha- Bengal border of Baleswar district, where the wind was the carrier of such devastating rain. The devastation of coastal forests by people is the main cause of such cyclonic debacle.
(The writer is a former forest officer and an environmentalist, M- 9937460649)