16,372 died in natural calamities in Odisha in last five years: Minister

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As many as 16,372 people have died in various natural calamities in Odisha in the last five years, Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi informed the assembly on Thursday.

In reply to a question from BJP MLA Kusum Tete, Marndi said 16,372 people have died in natural calamities such as cyclone, lightning strike, fire accident, boat capsize, drowning, flood, heatwave, whirlwind, heavy rain and snakebite from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

While 7,874 people drowned, 5,219 died due to snakebites and lightning strikes killed 2,058 people in Odisha in the last five years, he said.

Similarly, 759 people died in fire accidents, 140 in cyclones, 46 in boat capsize incidents, 73 in floods, 141 due to heatwaves, while whirlwinds and heavy rain accounted for 31 deaths each.

As per the statement of the minister, Mayurbhanj district has registered the highest number of 1,444 disaster deaths during the period, followed by Ganjam (1,162), Balasore (1,139) and Keonjhar (1,115). Boudh reported the lowest of 85 deaths.

Of the 7,874 drowning deaths, the highest of 651 cases were reported in Mayurbhanj, followed by 605 in Ganjam, 592 in Balasore and 545 in Keonjhar. Other districts reported less than 500 deaths.

Tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district also registered the highest number of snakebite death cases at 460, followed by Balasore (378), Keonjhar (352), Ganjam (335), and Sundergarh (325).

The minister said the state government has been providing compensation to the families of the deceased as per the guidelines of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

The government provides Rs 50,000 in case of death due to heatwave and Rs 4 lakh for death due to other listed disasters, he added.