Bhubaneswar: Amid claims labelling the recent severe flooding in Ganjam district as a ‘man-made disaster’, Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Wednesday attributing the inundation to extreme, record-breaking torrential rainfall and flash floods across key river catchments.
Addressing a press conference, Garg detailed the technical and meteorological facts behind the flood situation, quoting observations from an assessment team sent by the central government. “There was unprecedented rainfall. In Patrapur alone, 546 mm of rainfall was recorded in a single day. Across three consecutive days, rainfall reached 89 mm, followed by 546 mm, and then 173 mm. Several monitoring stations recorded historical maximum rainfall exceeding 300 mm. This volume of rainfall surpassed the levels recorded during the 1990 floods and was 65% higher than the single-day rainfall during Cyclone Phailin in 2013,” she noted.
Responding to allegations regarding poor dam management and water release protocols, Garg explained: “The catchment area of Rushikulya and Bahuda systems spans approximately 9,800 sq km, of which reservoirs cover only around 880 sq km, roughly 10 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent of runoff flows directly into the river system uncontrolled.”
Standard protocols were strictly followed by engineers to deplete reservoir levels by 55% to 65% prior to the heavy rainfall event. Dam safety is supreme, and no risk can be taken with structural integrity. As inflow increased, dam gates were operated in a phased, controlled manner.”
Garg further stated that water discharge measured at Purushottampur reached 69,700 cusecs, which was nearly double the normal carrying capacity of the river bed. “Our foremost objective was to ensure zero loss of life, and through timely measures, no human casualties occurred. Restoration of power and piped water supply was largely achieved within 2 to 3 days,” she added.
The Chief Secretary stated that restoration work is progressing rapidly, with electricity fully restored to 99.99% of consumers in Ganjam. Over 4,000 tube wells have been restored as well. She assured that canal repairs will ensure uninterrupted irrigation for farmers, while work on the remaining 12 of 420 damaged pipeline networks will be wrapped up shortly.
Background and Allegations
The political debate intensified after former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik visited flood-affected regions in Ganjam district, including Aska, Sheragada, and Hinjili. Following his field visits, he wrote a three-page letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi criticising the administration’s flood response and management. He termed the floods a manmade crisis and said the state government should take all responsibility for the disaster.
Naveen raised concerns regarding reservoir operations, claiming that unannounced and delayed gate openings worsened flooding in Rushikulya and Bahuda river basins. He emphasised public outrage over the lack of prior warnings, labelling the situation a avoidable, man-made crisis. Calling for strict accountability and action against negligent officials, Naveen contrasted the incident with his former administration’s globally recognised, community-driven disaster management model.
He also accused the Mohan Majhi-led BJP government of mismanaging consecutive natural disasters across Ganjam, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak, and Baleshwar. “Incompetence and negligence of a government should never lead to the suffering of its people. The BJP government in the state must take responsibility and fix accountability so that the hard work done and progress achieved by the BJD government over 24 years is not undone in 24 months by the double-engine sarkar,” he added.
Assessment Visit
An eight-member Central inter-ministerial inspection team led by the Ministry of Jal Shakti visited Ganjam earlier this month to assess the extensive damage caused by cyclone Arnab and the subsequent floods, particularly to standing crops, irrigation infrastructure, roads and electricity networks.
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