Drowning deaths rise to 1,292 in 3 yrs

Deaths due to drowning are rising on an alarming rate in Odisha and the authorities are worried over such a development, particularly as young people are mostly the victims.

“So, the State Government has declared droning as a ‘State-Specific Disaster’ with next of the kin of the victims being given assistance”, said Disaster Management Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi.

He said the State Government has announced eight natural calamities as State-Specific Disasters. They are drowning, lightning, whirlwind, tornado, heavy rain, sunstroke, boat accident and snakebite. The Government is providing ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the family of a person who dies in any of the seven State-Specific Disasters.

During last three years, 1,292 cases of drowning deaths were reported, said sources in the Special Relief Organisation (SRO). These cases are other than floods. Cases of drowning in floods are reported as flood-related deaths.

During 2015-16, a total 246 drowning cases were reported while in 2016-17, it went up to 428 and in 2017-18 the figure was 618, said a senior SRO official. On an average, 431 drowning cases per annum are reported.

Baleswar district recorded the highest 129 drowning cases while Bhadrak reported 118 and the third was Jajpur, which reported 103, during last three years. Boudh district reported zero death. There are no reports of drowning death in 76 blocks during the last three years.

In Bhadrak district, the highest 40 cases of drowning deaths have been reported in Basudebpur Block followed by Bhadrak block. At least 34 cases were reported in Sambalpur block of Sambalpur district and 31 each in Basta block (Baleswar) and Mahakalpada block (Kendrapada).

Most of the drowning deaths occurred during months of July to November. Out of the total 1,292 cases during last three years, 783 deaths, which is about 61 per cent, took place during these five months.

The highest 197 deaths were reported in September followed by 192 in August and 150 in October. Analysts feel the drowning deaths are interlinked with monsoon syndrome.

Secondly, drowning deaths are reported in the sea beaches of Puri, Konark and Gopalpur. The stretch of the sea between Konark and Puri has been witnessing high tides since the Tsunami hit the southeast coast of India in 2004. High tides have also become a regular feature in Gopalpur.

The sea current is particularly strong during full moon and new moon days.