BHUBANESWAR: Over 10,300 deaths were reported in the state due to drowning, snakebites and natural disasters like floods and lightnings between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
In a written reply to a question from Souvic Biswal (BJD) in the Assembly on Thursday, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister said property worth Rs 2,301.51 crore was damaged due to natural disasters during the same period. Similarly, 3,351 people were killed due to these reasons in 2021-22, followed by 3,649 in 2022-23 and 3,302 in 2023-24.
The minister said drowning claimed the highest 5,534 lives, while 3,356 died due to snakebites and 874 in lightning strikes during the period. Besides, while 429 people were killed in fire incidents, 46 died of heatwave and 28 due to boat capsize during the three-year period. At least 26 deaths were due to landslides and floods.
Pujari further said four cyclones - Yaas, Gulab, Jawad and Michaung - were witnessed in the Bay of Bengal during the period. Cyclone Yaas claimed three lives in Odisha.
To mitigate the impact of such disasters, the minister outlined several initiatives taken by the state government. These include preparation of disaster management action plans by all departments and districts, strengthening of early warning systems and establishment of 24x7 control rooms. The government has also set up 122 alert siren towers under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project, he added.