Little Damage, No Casualties: What Saved Odisha’s Bhitarkanika From Cyclone Dana’s Destruction? – News18

Last Updated:October 26, 2024, 17:36 IST

The region’s mangrove belt acted as a natural shield against the impact of the cyclone that crossed the state’s coastline at 110 km wind speed late on Thursday night

Cyclone Dana made a furious landfall in Odisha near Habalikhati, between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamara. However, no casualties were reported in the area, and damage was also minimal, said locals. So who or what saved Odisha? Once again, the region’s mangrove belt acted as a natural shield against the impact of the cyclone that crossed the state’s coastline at 110 km wind speed late on Thursday night.

While Dana was also slowed down by two anticyclones, sources in the meteorological department said that the mangrove forest also acted as a speed breaker.

Dr Jaya Krushna Panigrahi, secretary, Odisha Environmental Society, told News18, “It’s the mangroves of Bhitarkanika which saved Odisha. Dana was fighting with two anticyclones and then landfall happened in the jungle. The mangroves reduced its wind speed to a great extent and the storm surge could not take effect as the roots of the mangroves absorbed it.”

The root systems of the mangrove also played a key part in holding back the water, said experts.

Since October 1, the Bhitarkanika nature camp was also closed to tourists, and so nobody was there.

Older Odisha residents say that when a super cyclone hit Jagatsinghpur in 1999 and more than 1,000 people lost their lives, adjacent Kendrapara, where Bhitarkanika is located, saw very few casualties because of the mangrove barrier.

Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) in Odisha, Susanta Nanda, told News18, “In two stretches, Dana’s speed was reduced by these mangroves, and that is the reason almost no damage happened. This is where estuarine crocodiles and other animals stay, but nothing happened to them. We should have more mangrove forests to protect Odisha. More awareness is required.”

Sources said initiatives would be taken to create more mangrove clusters as Odisha is a cyclone-prone state.