बेबाक · Editorial
Arnab, Then Murasu: Odisha's Cyclone Shield Must Now Reach Its Landslide-Prone Hills
India has learnt to evacuate coasts before a storm; back-to-back cyclones show it has not yet learnt to reach inland hills cut off by landslides after one.
Two Storms, Days Apart
Southern Odisha had barely begun to count the damage from Cyclone Arnab, which brought heavy rain, landslides and floods to its southern districts, when the India Meteorological Department flagged a second system, Cyclone Murasu, over the Bay of Bengal. Murasu is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Kavali and Kandukur between Monday evening and midnight on November 2. A red alert is in force for five Andhra Pradesh districts, and Nellore is on high alert. Odisha has an orange alert for five districts. In Chennai, the District Collector, S. Malathi Helen, closed schools ahead of heavy rain.
Prepared Coast, Exposed Hills
The central tension is not whether India can respond to cyclones. Odisha's practice of evacuating people before a storm arrives is widely credited, and it is again in evidence this week. The question is whether that skill extends to what happens after the wind drops. Arnab's worst legacy in Odisha was not storm surge. It was landslides in areas where, according to reports, there is no road access. Officials there are looking for cranes and earthmovers and are seeking engineers with expertise in controlled blasting to break up boulders. Murasu now threatens the same terrain before that work is finished.
The Case on Each Side
The strongest case for the authorities is that they are acting early and in public. Odisha launched evacuations in landslide-prone areas on Sunday. Its Chief Minister announced 50 kg of rice and Rs 2,500 in financial assistance for affected families. An eight-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team will assess damage from November 2 to 4. The strongest critique is that pre-emptive evacuation and cash relief cannot stand in for rescue capacity. A state that can move people out of harm's way before landfall should not have to go looking for an earthmover after it, and explosives are a last resort, not a plan.
What the Record Shows
The record supports both readings. Reports differ on Murasu's strength. Some describe it as a severe cyclonic storm already, while others expect it to intensify into one by Monday morning. Forecasters do not expect a direct hit on Odisha, but its southern parts are bracing for heavy rain. That uncertainty argues for caution, not complacency. The relief package is a reasonable start. But Rs 2,500 is a modest sum for a household facing a second spell of severe weather within days. The central team's visit, scheduled to coincide with a fresh storm, risks assessing a moving target. Even the rescue of at least ten blackbucks from flood-hit Balia village in Ganjam, released into forest habitat after veterinary care, shows field teams doing careful work under strain.
The Way Forward
The reform needed is specific. First, Odisha and its neighbours should pre-position heavy earthmoving equipment and trained operators in landslide-prone blocks each monsoon and cyclone season, rather than requisitioning them after roads collapse. Second, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team's assessment of Arnab should explicitly count compounding damage from Murasu. Relief for a second strike should be released without a fresh round of paperwork. Third, the National and State Disaster Response Forces should build dedicated hill-rescue capacity, including controlled-blasting expertise, under a standing protocol. The coast has a shield. The hills deserve one too.
A state that can move people out of harm's way before landfall should not have to go looking for an earthmover after it.
What this editorial rests on
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