The Odisha coastal zone has turned most vulnerable due to reoccurrence of storms and severe storms at small intervals.
According to the latest report on vulnerability of the coastal zone, reoccurrence of storm and severe storm is 15 months in case of Odisha.
However, revisit of storm and severe storms in case of Andhra Pradesh is 20 months and 28 months in case of West Bengal. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi admits that around 26 per cent of the total cyclonic disturbances of the Indian subcontinent affect Odisha coast.
In the last century, Indian subcontinent experienced more than 1,035 cyclonic disturbances of which 905 were found in the eastern coast, including 263 cyclonic disturbances in Odisha.
The severe cyclonic storms of 1909, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1967, 1971, Super Cyclone 1999, very severe cyclonic storm Phailin in 2013, Titli in 2018 caused colossal damages and devastations.
So vulnerability of the Odisha coastal zone is relatively high in comparison to other States like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and even Tamil Nadu, says Sethi.
While 13 per cent of total cyclonic disturbances affect Andhra Pradesh, it is 14 per cent in case of West Bengal.
From the above it is clear that disasters strike Odisha in quick successions, causing death and destruction, injuring thousands and making millions homeless.
Whether nightmarish memory of Super Cyclone in 1999 or Phailin and recent one Titli, the successive calamities have sent chill down the spine.
While the coastal zone is vulnerable due to cyclone, it is also prone to floods, which is most frequent and devastating. Odisha is one of the most flood prone States in the country having flood prone area of 3.34 million hectares. Flood and cyclone have jointly devastated State during last 10 years.
Interestingly, while cyclones and floods are wreaking havoc, continuous revisit of droughts are causing huge crop loss and making farmers penury.
While normal rainfall in the State on the basis of 50 years average of annual rainfall from 1901 to 1950 was 1,503 millimeter (MM) with 73 rainy days, it has gone down drastically over the last 50 years.
Decline in rainfall has resulted in drought and it is some time affecting the entire State and sometimes, few regions.
Now several districts of Odisha have come under earthquake zones, making it a disaster zone of the country. As per recent categorisation, Odisha falls between Zone II and Zone II of the Seismic Zone.
These zones are low damage risk and moderate damage risk zones.
However, it may be noted that Gujarat also comes under moderate damage risk zone, which suffered hugely due earth quake.
So, cyclone, flood, drought and earthquake are multiple natural disasters making Odisha highly vulnerable and the State is facing huge financial loss due to such reoccurrence of the disasters.