1716 people died due to snake bites in three years in Odisha

At least 1716 people died due to snake bites in the past three years in Odisha, an official said.

While the number of death cases in different disasters during the last three years in Odisha is 4689, snake bites alone accounted for 1716, Deputy Special Relief Commissioner P R Mohapatra said yesterday.

"This accounts for about 37 per cent of the total number of disaster death in the state," he said.

The state government has declared snake bite as a State Specific Disaster (SSD) and made provision of compensation amounting Rs 4 Lakh for the next of kin of the victim, he said.

Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi said the victims were mostly farmers and poor men and women in villages. He said 97 per cent of 1716 snake bite cases were reported from rural areas.

A latest analysis shows that 1716 snake bite death cases are reported from 282 blocks of all 30 districts during the past three years.

The highest number of 164 death cases was reported from Balasore district followed by 147 in Ganjam district and 145 both in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts, reveals the Report of Special Relief Organization (SRO) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority(OSDMA).

This apart, 114 deaths were reported from Bhadrakh district.

According to timing, most of the snake bites occurred during May to October. Out of total 1716 snake bite death cases, 1464 occurred during these six months.

The highest number of death cases due to snake bites occurred in July (314) followed by August (306), June (281), September (253), May (156) and October (154) in the last three years.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena has said that anti-venom is available in all government hospitals across the state.