History of Orissa from the Earliest Times to the British Period v2.c44.141

v2.c44.141

Of natural calamities the most dangerous are floods, inundations from the sea and famines. From time immemorial the northern part of the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal has suffered from cyclones during the months of September-October. Balasore being situated close to Bengal is liable to the south-western monsoons of April and May also. In this district cyclones were recorded on the 27th May 1823, 31st October 1831 and again in October 1832. The most violent cyclones of recent years were those of 1872, 1885 and 1887. The cyclone of 1832 was followed by a severe drought in 1833 and from 1831 to 1833 more than 50,000 thousand people perished in the district. The cyclone of 1872 was followed by a tidal wave which caused great destruction of property throughout the district. The cyclone of 1885 caused more damage in the Katak district than in Balasore. In addition to cyclone and tidal waves the Balasore district suffers from inundations of rivers. The Suvarṇarekhā, the Burābālaṅg, the Vaitariṇī, all are liable to periodical inundations, and the flood waters of the Suvarṇarekhā have sometimes travelled twelve miles inland. In 1868 a fortnight's heavy rain caused a flood which was the highest within the memory of men. Another disastrous flood occurred in 1896 when the entire country remained under water for nearly a month. The last recorded great flood was that of 1900 when the water level rose more than 18 inches than all previously recorded heights. In all of these floods practically the whole of the cattle were destroyed though loss of life was not so severe.