Orissa flood control policy needs review: experts
Sep 29th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | Category: India

Bhubaneswar, Sep 29 (IANS) The recent floods in the Mahanadi river that killed about 70 people and affected four million in Orissa have sparked debate and experts Monday said the state must review its flood control policy and take measures to avoid such large scale devastation in the future.

Two floods of massive magnitude - in the Kosi River in Bihar and the Mahanadi river in Orissa have hit the nation in quick succession.

‘The time has come to go to the root of the problem. We need a proper study and review of our flood control policy to prevent further devastation,’ Ranjan K. Panda, convenor, Water Initiatives Orissa, told IANS.

‘Over the last five decades, people were told that engineering solutions were the only answer to control floods,’ said Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wild Life Society of Orissa.