Real Risk

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ISASTERS HAVE AFFECTED

human populations, causing

considerable damage to their social and economic

support systems from time immemorial. All these years

of suffering seem not to have resulted in an effective mechanism

of disaster mitigation for vast segments of population, particu-

larly for people living in developing countries. Economic

limitations, the socio-political system and administrative/regu-

latory framework prevailing in a geographical entity often

determine the impact of disasters on people.

Economists all over the world agree that democracy is the best

form of hunger prevention mechanism. But experience shows

that no amount of economic stability supported by democratic

set-up alone can protect a population from the vagaries of nature

and their after-effects. We need not go through the horror of the

1999 super cyclone, the killer tsunami of 2004 and the dreaded

Hurricane Katrina of 2005 to understand disasters and their

effects. Rather, one thing that emerges distinctly from all these

tribulations is that perpetual preparedness is the key to limiting

the impact of disasters.

Profile of Orissa

Orissa is a state on the eastern seaboard of India, located between

17˚49’ and 22˚36’ north latitude and between 81˚36’ and

87˚18’ east longitude. It spreads over an area of 155,707 sq km

and is broadly divided into four geographical regions: Northern

Plateau, Central River Basins, Eastern Hills and Coastal Plains.

It has a 480 km long coastline. Its population was 36,706,920

as per the 2001 census. Administratively, the state is divided

into 30 districts, 58 sub-divisions, 314 blocks (administrative

units in descending order of geographical area and population)

and 103 urban local bodies. The average density of population

comes to 236 per sq km with significantly higher density in

coastal areas compared to the interior parts.

Vulnerability

Orissa is vulnerable to multiple disasters. Due to its sub-tropi-

cal littoral location, the state is prone to tropical cyclones, storm

surges and tsunamis. Its densely populated coastal plains are

the alluvial deposits of its river systems. The rivers in these areas

with a heavy load of silt have very little carrying capacity, result-

ing in frequent floods that are only compounded by breached

embankments. Though a large part of the state comes under

Earthquake Risk Zone-II (Low Damage Risk Zone), the Brahmani

Mahanadi graben and their deltaic areas come under Earthquake

Risk Zone-III (Moderate Damage Risk Zone) covering 43 out of

the 103 urban local bodies of the state. Besides these natural

hazards, human-induced disasters such as accidents, stampede

and fire, vector-borne disasters such as epidemics, animal

diseases and pest attacks, and industrial/chemical disasters add

to human suffering.

Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority

The 1999 super cyclone affected 14 out of the 30 districts of

Orissa, with the loss of 8,962 precious human lives and about

450 thousand cattle heads. Two million houses and 1.84 million

hectares of crop area were damaged, and transport, telecom and

power systems were paralysed – the entire coastal tract was

devastated. The politico-administrative system and the economy

of the state pointed to a significant gap in the whole process of

handling disasters and their aftermaths. The vulnerability of the

state, its people and their inadequate preparedness level called

for a new approach to disaster management. A consensus

evolved to create a separate organization to meet the challenges

of disaster preparedness and management through integrated

policy enunciation, holistic planning, infrastructure develop-

ment and multi-stakeholder coordination. The Orissa State

Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) was thus set up in

December 1999. OSDMA has focused its attention on certain

areas of disaster management in a systematic manner based on

past experiences, especially those during and after the super

cyclone. It can legitimately claim that some headway has been

achieved.

Managing disasters: the Orissa experience

N. Sanyal, Managing Director, Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority

Rajiv Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India

A school-cum-shelter

Photo: OSDMA