Guest Column Mayadhar Nayak

Year after year, calamities such as floods, droughts and cyclones continue to wreak havoc in the state, causing great loss to life and property. The recent devastating floods got me thinking if there was any escape from the seemingly perpetual threat.

But I am afraid, no.

People have accepted the calamities as inevitable, probably since effective measures have hardly been taken to put an end to their misery. The talk of constructing another embankment on the Mahanadi river at Tikarpada as a solution to the flood fury has remained mere words. There seems to be no regard for popular wisdom — a stitch in time saves nine — and consequently, when disaster strikes, we end up spending crores of rupees for rescue and relief work.

Discussions about constructing a second embankment on the Mahanadi began in the 60’s but faded off until the deluge revisited the state in 1982. And then deluge continued to revisit this part of Orissa in 2001, 2003, 2008 and now, in this year. When it rains in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the reservoir of the Hirakud dam receives more water than its capacity. When water begins to spill over, sluice gates are unlocked. Before falling into the Bay of Bengal, the floodwater inundates catchment areas of the Mahanadi and other rivers, affecting lives and livelihood of about two crore people.

This time, a proposal was made of erecting an embankment at Manibhadra in Boudh district. Sadly, grand plans are always made and dumped no sooner than the floodwaters begin to recede.

It is true that the calamities have become a part and parcel of our lives. But not all of them are vagaries of nature, some are man-made. The Hirakud reservoir has the capacity of storing water up to a depth of 630 feet. But its bed, coated with thick layers of silt, can now hold 30 per cent less water, thereby reducing its capacity to only 440 feet.

So, without taking into account the reduced capacity, when the water exceeds the 630 feet mark, the gates of the Hirakud dam are opened.

As a result, the Mahanadi and its distributaries are in a spate, and the water inundates villages in its delta and catchments areas.

The recurrence of floods has had financial and economic repercussions but the government seems to be in a deep slumber. While the 2008 floods caused large-scale devastation in the deltaic region, this year it affected more than half of the state, bringing misery and distress to innumerable people.

Nobody pays heed to the advice of the experts to remove the accumulated mud, sand and silt from the bottom of the dam.

Because of this continuous negligence, the multipurpose dam, which was once considered a boon, has now turned into a bane. If the sediment of its bed is cleared off, we can surely contain the menacing floods.

Orissa thrives on the several rain-fed rivers. During monsoon, the rivers are in spate, swallowing everything that come in the way. In the dry season, they are converted into narrow, constricted streams as we let the river water flow into the sea. Farmers do not know how to tap underground water even as industries and power plants suck it all.

End result? Agriculture suffers, drought or famine follows and we are left to bear the curse of food shortage and price rise.

Rivers and canals have been silted since long and monsoons have become synonymous with floods. However, we have failed to bring the situation under control. Some view rains as an opportunity (if water is managed judiciously), while others consider it as a disaster. Indeed, the government lacks foresight for which the common people are left to suffer. The big plans and projects tabled or executed by the government to address this flood issue are far from doing any good to the state.

What was worse this time was that the leaders of the ruling party and Opposition visited the flood-affected people with the motive of political campaigning for the panchayat elections of next year.

At present, it is required to scoop out the silt and sand from the riverbeds and streams, construct embankments and dams and prevent erosion of banks by afforestation. Above all, we need to knot all the rivers with the Mahanadi in a river grid through a canal network. When either of the Hirakud or Rengali dams release excess water, it would be diverted before touching the “danger” mark and the water could be used for irrigation. This would make floods, the sorrow of Orissa, a thing of the past.

The funds required for realising this dream should immediately be released by the state and central governments, and the work should begin immediately. However, the state government seems more concerned about the financial assistance coming from the Centre instead of ameliorating the woes of people. All the decisions taken by the state government in controlling the floods are shameless manifestations of apathy and foolishness. Public statements have been issued to the effect that it has been able to successfully deal with the recent floods.

The statements of leaders cannot wipe off the tears of those who have lost dear ones and lost properties to the raging floodwaters. If the government does not take urgent and practical measures, the situation would only aggravate in the days to come.

Thus, it is time now to initiate an open debate and invite opinions from people with expertise in this regard - scientists, engineers, technocrats and all others who are faced with the challenge of transforming a miserable Orissa to a prosperous Orissa. All it requires is will power and honesty.