BJP Dubs Odisha Flood Man-Made, Holds State Govt Responsible

Bhubaneswar: Dubbing the flood in the Mahanadi river basin as man-made, the Odisha BJP on Sunday accused the BJD government in the state of having failed to manage the flood situation and provide proper relief to affected people due to utter negligence.

Hitting out at the state Government, BJP’s state General Secretary Prithviraj Harichandan also termed as ‘hollow’ the target of ‘zero casualty’ set by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and claimed that the deluge has so far claimed the lives of at least six persons.

“The devastating flood in the Mahanadi river system was the outcome of the state government’s inability to effectively manage water in Hirakud dam. The flood was man-made,” Harichandan told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Alleging utter negligence and mismanagement on the part of the state government, the BJP leader said people were severely affected by the deluge because of lack of preparedness by the administration.

The state was hit by flood situation due to lack of coordination with Chhattisgarh and violation of the ‘rule curve’ in Hirakud dam water management by the state government, he said, adding that the calamity caused loss of life and property in different areas due to Government’s negligence.

Stating that the ‘rule curve’ for specifying the storage of water in the Hirakud reservoir at different times of the year was framed way back in 1962, he said the state government took no measure to suitably amend it during all these years, ignoring the changing scenario.

“The government violated the rule curve and never bothered to adhere to the guidelines laid down therein. Sluice gates of Hirakud dam were always being operated in an arbitrary manner, posing a serious threat to the people living in Mahanadi river basin,” Harichandan alleged.

The BJP leader claimed that no relief work was undertaken in the affected areas even four days after the flood. The administration has not provided polythene to the flood-hit, while the affected people had to remain hungry for four days.

Apart from Mahanadi system, flood situation also arose in other rivers including Baitarani as the state government never took any step for strengthening and repairing river embankments, he alleged.

The BJP leader demanded that the BJD government tender an apology to the people of the state for its failure to manage the flood situation and provide proper relief to the affected people.

The state government must prepare a long-term plan to fight the flood situation, he added.