The politics of media coverage of natural disasters in Odisha and Assam

Abstract

Disasters not only affect people’s health and well-being but also result in a considerable number of people being displaced, killed, injured, or exposed to higher epidemic risks (Senapati, 2021). In recent years, India’s unique geo-climatic conditions and high socio-economic vulnerability have led to the rapid rise in both the frequency and intensity of disasters (Parida & Goel, 2020). Approximately 65 million people in India are impacted annually by earthquakes, storms, avalanches, heat/cold waves, landslides, lightning, earthquakes, and other natural disasters (Chaudhary & Piracha, 2021). Odisha is an eastern Indian state with 30 districts, of which 13 coastal districts are vulnerable to cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves. Odisha has been plagued by natural disasters for centuries (Mohanty, 2021). One of the most devastating was the Na-Anka Famine of 1866, which led to the death of one third of Odisha’s population and destroyed the socioeconomic fabric of the state (Nayak, 2009). The infamous 1999 Super Cyclone in Odisha killed over 10,000 lives. Since then, Odisha has developed safeguards to ensure that people are protected from cyclone damage in the future (Kalsi, 2006). In the recent cyclones, including Phailin in 2013, Hudhud in 2014, Titli in 2018, Fani in 2019, Amphan in 2020, and Yaas in 2021, the change in disaster mitigation approach has led to fewer casualties (The World Bank, 2019). The recent flood in August 2022 also affected half a million people in 12 districts across Odisha and over 53,000 people were evacuated to safer places. Luckily, there were no reports of casualties (Barik, 2022). Like Odisha, the northeastern Indian state of Assam consisting of 35 districts has a unique geo-climatic condition, making it prone to floods, soil erosion, earthquake, and landslides (Borah, 2022). Its location between two colliding plate boundaries (the Himalayan in the north and the Indo-Burman in the east) makes it one of the seismically most active regions of the world. The two great earthquakes of magnitudes 8.7 in 1897 and 1950 resulted in rivers changing their courses. Floods are common in this state but the extent of damage caused is increasing every year. The overall flood-