Flood
In India, 49.8 million
hectares (12.3% of the geographical area) is prone to flood (NRAA, 2013).
Because of its long coastline (482 km),
the state of Odisha is often exposed to flood. Flood is
one of the frequently occurring climatic hazards in the state. The decreasing
number of a rainy day (>2.5mm) and the increasing number of a heavy rainy
day (>62.5 mm), very heavy rainy days (>125 mm per day), and consecutive
cumulative rainfall events increase the chance of flooding. Heavy rainfall
during monsoon in the catchment area inside the state and the upper catchment
of neighboring states also contributes to flooding downstream. The flat topography,
drainage congestion, soil erosion, siltation in the rivers, breaching of the
embankments, cause severe floods in the river basin and delta area of the state.
This problem becomes even more acute in the coastal area when floods coincide
with high tide. As a consequence houses, roads and bridges are washed away,
crops & livestock are damaged, sometimes lives are lost.
Nearly 1.40 lakh
hectares of the total geographical area of the state is prone to flood (OSDMA,
2016). Out of a total of 22 lakh ha of rainfed lowland of Odisha, about 50% are
submergence/flood-prone (Singh, 2006). For the people living in riverside,
flooding is a regular phenomenon. Based on 47 years (1953 to 1999) data, on
average 3.57 m ha of the cultivated area is damaged annually. In the last 100
years, Odisha experienced a flood in 49 years (Jena, 2018). The floods of 1980,
1982, 2001, and 2003 were notable ones that have caused damage to the properties
amounting to crores of rupees. In recent days, floods in the years 2006, 2007,
and 2008 have caused severe damage to crops, livestock other properties in the
state (OSDMA, 2016). The damage of crops due to floods varied from 0.3 lakh
tonnes (1985-86) to 7.3 lakh tones (2011-12) in a mild/flash flood year. It is
estimated to be higher at 11 lakh tonnes in a severe flood year (1990-91).