Affidavit by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the matter of Sisir Kumar Panda Vs Union of India & Others dated 20/05/2025. The issue pertained to the removal of illegal construction/obstruction caused by the state authorities as well as the private persons in the ecological sensitive zone …
it is a paradox of sorts. Even as the Orissa farmers reel under recurring spells of droughts and floods, the state government has decided to raise the water tax for irrigation. The raised tax, to be imposed from the next kharif season, is substantial. The farmers will now have to …
Why has a ban been imposed on shark hunting in particular? Sharks have a vital role in the marine ecosystem since they are the apex predator at the top of the marine food chain. But today they are almost extinct, being a major target of the fish hunters. Their slow …
at first glance, the photographs on display fail to stir one's imagination. The vast mangrove forests along the Orissa coastline are just as picturesque as any other, with little pretension of offering a novel experience. In other words, the work focussing on the natural and supernatural, appears to be nothing …
For more than a decade now, Orissa has been reeling under contrasting extreme weather conditions: from heat waves to cyclones; from droughts to floods. Calamities have been visiting the state with alarming regularity. Out of the last 100 years, the state has been dis-aster- affected for 90 years: floods have …
Deforestation in the Hirakud dam's catch-ments has led to heavy siltation. The dam stores less water than its estimated capa-city. The state government's study of Hirakud's sedimentation shows that every year 12,000 acre feet silt is deposited. Out of the 53 km upstream spread of the reser-voir, 50 km has …
This year Orissa suffered one of its worst droughts as well. The drought gripped more than two-thirds of the state's districts. After the great famine of 1866, it was for the first time that drought of such a magnitude hit Orissa. It affected the lives of 11 mil-lion people. After …
The ghost of the 1999 super cyclone still haunts the people of Orissa. On October 18, 1999, a cyclone with a wind velocity of 200 km/hr hit the coastal district of Ganjam. It ripped through the district killing 300 people and destroying all standing crops. And while the state government …
• West Orissa: Drought has become an annual affair and is spreading. Massive deforestation. Soil erosion silting up major rivers thus rising riverbeds and causing more floods downstream. Tempereature rising. Balangir district has reported an average rise of 8 degree celcius in the last 30 years • North Orissa: Cyclone …
Haldhar Nag, a popular nature poet, is a worried man today. He has written extensively on the six seasons of Oriss and has profiled nature in its myriad forms. But when he reads his old compo-sitions now, he feels nostalgic and at the same time pain. "The seasons have changed …
THE debate on whether climate change causes calamities in Orissa rages on. But nobody denies that environmental degradation in the state has let loose a chain of problems. Massive deforestation in west Orissa is not only destroying the livelihood of local people but also silting up riverbeds causing floods in …
Chitta Majhi, a history student of Balugaon College, on the banks of Chilka, has grown up with the lake. During winter, Chitta used to play with migratory birds right in front of his house. "Sometimes I could find the migratory birds right inside my bedroom', he remem-bers. For his father, …
BHAGWAN SAHOO looks pensive and despon-dent. This 60-year-old farmer is trying hard to redefine his life. A farmer by heart, Bhagwan has decided to quit farming. His two sons have already aban-doned the village and him, in search of an alternate livelihood. The 1999 killer cyclone left Bhagwan with nothing. …
In Kashipur, starvation continues to stalk its residents. Nearly 50 people died after consum-ing ungus-ridden mango kernel till August. But the state government defended this say-ing that mango kernel is nutritious and the deaths are due to food poisoning. Kashipur epitomises the plight of Orissa perfectly. It shows how environmental …
Hope was the most precious commodity for drought-rava-ged Orissa a few months ago. So when the monsoon of 2001 reached the state on time, there was jubilation. But incessant rains for 40 days starting from the first week of July ebbed this jubila-tion. In its worst ever flood recorded in …
the Olive Ridley satellite telemetry experiment of the Wildlife Institute of India (wii) has failed, with signals not being received from any of the four turtles involved. The experiment was launched in the last week of August 2001, to unravel the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Olive Ridleys that come …
STOMPING ON A DREAMThe incomplete check dam at Goudpali village in Naktideul Block of Sambalpur, Orissa, stands testimony to the insensitivity of the laws and the government to the needs of the people. The government has forced work to stop on the check dam being built by people. Goudpali houses …
the devotion of millions of people to lord Jagannath may have cleansed their souls, but it has left the Puri city dirty and filthy. Despite the city being the most revenue-fetching tourist centre, the state government has shown little interest in its management. Acknowledging the severe pollution menace, the Supreme …
the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (cag) has condemned the Orissa government and the state pollution control board (pcb) for their failure on various fronts, including lapses in checking deterioration of water quality in major rivers of the state. In its latest report, cag has said that due to …
