Lesson I: To save the capital city of Cuttack way back in 1006 AD the then king Markata Keshari built the Kathajodi embankment which has been further improved by the successive rulers. It still stands with pride and protects the city from inundation. One of the architects of that engineering marvel was an ordinary citizen Baimundi.
Can we keep our mind open to learn from the ordinary citizens as well? Lesson II: During the British rule in Odisha, the Britishers developed water ways and also built several embankments to protect important habitats.
Some of them had flaws for which they themselves demolished a few and were relentlessly working for their corrections. However after independence we neglected their water ways and also the embankments which they had planned with a vision. In their plan (of the British) the then ruler of Ali (Aul) and other local experts had also contributed a lot. I wonder if our present days experts even know the names of those legendary persons.
Let us go to the local people, identify their initiatives, learn from them and build on what they have. Lesson III: In the field of land and water management (including disaster management) the Britishers were giving weightage to the local and traditional knowledge.(For example Sir Arthur Cotton’s work in India).
Based on that, they were working with a vision. But we rarely see such vision or even any long term plan with our present Governments. Rather our present rulers are happy with very short term relief and rehabilitation approaches, without any vision.
Our technocrats are under the control of the bureaucrats and the vision of our bureaucrats is limited to their retirement age or at best till their post retirement rehabilitation period. In case of our political leaders, most of them cannot see beyond the next general election. Let us have a long term plan with a vision and work on that.
Lesson IV: While king Markata Keshari and the Odias were building the Kathajodi embankment, thousands of miles away from them in Europe, in the same 11th century, the Dutch had started building dykes and embankments to reclaim land from the sea. They have continued the process for centuries and by now they have reclaimed over 18,000 sqkm of land mass which is about 40% of their land area (of Netherlands ). Through those embankments, they have been able to protect 61% of their habitats which otherwise would have been inundated with flood and tidal wave.
The Netherlands is a tiny state with a population equal to one third of Odisha and their land area is about one fourth of ours. However, they were more vulnerable to flood and tidal waves for which centuries ago they had started the work with a clear vision and they have very successfully managed to prevent the floods and tidal waves. This has been possible because they had a vision and they continued to pursue it with consistency.
In the context of building a resilient system against the flood, cyclone and tidal waves of Odisha let us set a long term plan with a clear vision and pursue it. We must get out of the short term relief and populist rehabilitation approach even though politically that may become a bit expensive.
(Pradhanis president, Sahabhagi Vikash Aviyan (SVA), who lives at Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar, Ph: 9437044008, Jagadishpradhan53@gmail.com)