The Super Cyclone of 1999 was a tragedy of unprecedented nature that continues to haunt residents of the coastal district here even after 16 years of its occurrence.
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 far from satisfactory which is why the plight of the survivors has got compounded. After the cyclone, the State Government basically had stressed on relief and rescue operations but the measures to combat similar disaster in future were inadequate.
Though relief was pouring in from all parts of the world after the storm, but it was not reaching victims due to improper disaster management. There was a plan to construct multipurpose cyclone shelters at 1 km distance along the coasts. But the project still remains incomplete. Other major programmes pending include proposed coastal high way between Gopalpur to Digha along the 480 km coastline, conservation of mangrove forests, afforestation and improvement of drainage, saline and river embankment, etc.
Official report indicates that the Super Cyclone had claimed 9,885 human lives, 4.45 lakh livestock, while paddy and other standing crops in 13 lakh hectares of land were destroyed. There was hardly a house not damaged in Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts. An estimated 9 million trees were uprooted, 3,425 high schools and 14,001 primary schools were razed to ground across the State. Jagatsinghpur district had suffered highest human casualties at 8,119.
In the aftermath the Super Cyclone, the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) was set up by the State Government to formulate community based disaster preparedness and play a key role in coordinating activities at various levels. It was also mandated to formulate long term strategy on disaster management and preparedness.
The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) was created for deployment during and after the calamites to provide relief to the victims and undertake several other measures.
According to reports, so far 4,232 families have been given compensation in Jagatsinghpur district, while 2,648 cases were rejected and 210 cases were still pending for sanction.
Even the strategic 327 km stretch of saline embankments which act as a barrier against the inward surge of tidal waves have been a victim of neglect. As a result, several times during the last 16 years, sea water entered into the coastal villages through the damaged portions of the embankments.
According to Government sources, though almost all the damaged schools have been repaired or rebuilt but lack of maintenance remains a challenge. Within a few years of their construction, the ceilings of many buildings were leaking during rains. It is alleged that the quality of construction of the building was poor and little was done to bring the people behind the bungling of funds to book.
The dense mangrove forests which grew naturally in Odisha coast were providing a permanent barrier against cyclones and tidal surges. Over the years, the unscrupulous clearance of the trees rendered the coast bare and made it vulnerable to the vagaries of nature.
Recently, two lakh tress were axed in Kujanga coast to clear land for the much hyped Posco steel project and deforestation is rampant in coastal region while the Forest department remains a mute spectator to all this.