ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Disaster Precursors - Wild Boar Attacks 3 Farmers In India?!

March 10, 2016 - INDIA - In a fresh case of man-animal conflict, three farmers were injured following attack by a rogue male wild boar at a village in Odisha's Kendrapara district.

The incident took place in Srichandanpur village on Wednesday when farmers were engaged in vegetable cultivation activities.

The injured farm labourers - Bichitrananda Barik (49), Sudarshan Pradhan (42), Rankanidhi Das (40)- are undergoing treatment at Kendrapara district headquarters hospital.

While condition of one of the injured person is stated to be critical, two others are out of danger, police said.

Mild tension has prevailed in the area following the animals attack. However, no untoward incident had occurred, they said.

Such act of trespassing and consequent attack on humans by wild boar was not earlier witnessed in the village.

The animal might haves sneaked into the village to eat crops and standing vegetable plants though area is bereft of forest cover , said Divisional Forest Officer, Bimal Prasana Acharya.

The forest department is bearing the cost of treatment of the injured persons. Besides compensation grants will also be disbursed, he said.

The forest department is aware of animals intrusion into village areas. Forest personnel have begun night watch and vigil in villages which are marked by straying of animals.

Villagers have been advised to avoid movement during night hours when animals mostly make their way to crop fields in village areas. Besides steel-net-barricade is being installed shortly in villager borders to ward off the animals intrusion into human settlements , added DFO Acharya. - The Statesman.

 

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Migratory Patterns And Disaster Precursors - Cadaver Of Whale Washes Up At Brahmagiri, Off The Indian Coast?!

Cadaver of Whale

February 9, 2016 - BRAHMAGIRI, INDIA - Days after dead whales were found near the coast in Odisha's Ganjam and Kendrapara locale, another cadaver of whale was found from the coast close Motagaon zone in Brahmagiri locale on Tuesday morning.

Prior this month, a cadaver of a whale measuring 33 feet long with a width of 12 feet was located at Podampetta coast in Ganjam area on February 3 while the corpse of another whale measuring 66 feet long was found at Chinchiri mouth at Rajnagar in Kendrapara locale on February 5.

A few days before this, a giant dead whale washed ashore at the Juhi beach in Mumbai.

Last month, carcasses of more than 60 whales were sighted along the coast in Tamil Nadu a month ago

Following the death of the whales, the State Environment and Forest department has decided to apprise the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoEF) of the unusual death of the giant marine mammals. - The Samaya.

EXTREME WEATHER: Hailstorm Wrecks Havoc in Millennium City in India - Widespread Damage, Crushed Vehicles, Uprooted Trees and Power Outages!

A hailstorm hit the Millennium City on Monday afternoon bringing relief from the sweltering weather. But it caused widespread damage uprooting trees and utility poles and snapping power connections in many parts. 

Wind gusts accompanied by hail and rain ripped through the City at around 5 pm. The cloudburst wreaked havoc. Many vehicles were also crushed under trees which came down under the impact of the storm.  The Ring Road along the Mahanadi and the Kathjodi bore the brunt of the storm with the avenue trees suffering a major blow. A tree crashed on a moving City bus near Matamath. No one was, however, injured in the incident.  Large parts of the City plunged into darkness for long hours as the supply lines suffered extensive damage. Areas like Mahanadi Vihar, Badambadi, Kalyan Nagar, Khapuria, Buxi Bazaar, Jobra, College Square, CDA and Cantonment Road were the worst-affected. 

According to Cesu Chief Executive Officer, Hemant Sharma, Cuttack along with Kendrapara and Marsaghai areas sustained major damage in the hailstorm. By late night 33-KV lines were restored in Kendrapara and Marsaghai areas, but the 11- KV lines, which supply power to domestic consumers, would take time for restoration, he said.  Power supply was restored in phases in Cuttack.  "Electricity poles have been uprooted at many places along with snapping of cables. Work is going on a war-footing and the situation would be normalised by midnight," Superintending Engineer, Cesu, Cuttack, S K Ray said.  Bhubaneswar also witnessed rain accompanied by gusty wind. Power supply was disrupted in several parts as electricity cables were snapped. However, power was restored in the night. - IBN Live.

THE GREAT DELUGE: India Floods Worsens - Over 2 Million Affected!

More than two million people have been affected by floods in India as torrential rains lash Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.

Heavy monsoon rains have been battering parts of India for the past fortnight. More than 80 people have died in flood-related incidents, and some areas have been cut off by rising waters. Heavy rains in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have killed more than 30 people across the state. A flood alert has been issued in eight districts in Bihar. In Orissa, the worst affected state, vast parts of 10 districts have been inundated by flood waters, officials say. Special Relief Commissioner PK Mohapatra said 55 people had died - some drowned, while others died from snakebites and in wall collapses. More than 10 people who had gone missing after the boat in which they were travelling overturned in the Brahmani river in Dhenkanal district were rescued on Monday, officials say.

Some areas have been cut off because of breaches to river banks and embankments. Helicopters are the only way to bring food and water to people stranded there. Officials said that more than 130,000 in Orissa alone have been evacuated to safety as the relief and rescue operation moves into full swing. Hundreds of thousands of people in the state are reported to be taking refuge in trees or on the tops of buildings as flood waters continue to rise. In UP officials say that most people were killed in wall and house collapses on Sunday caused by the incessant rain in the eastern districts of Varanasi, Jaunpur and Mirzapur. Relief Commissioner KK Sinha said that most died in their sleep when the roofs of their mud houses collapsed. Officials say that the water levels of two major rivers in UP - the Ganges and Gomti - are on the rise. Other rivers are full, but below the danger mark. In neighbouring Bihar state, authorities have sounded a flood alert in eight districts, including the capital, Patna, after heavy rains led to a rise in the water levels on Ganges and Sone rivers. Rivers are flooding their banks after a large amount of water was released from the Indrapuri barrage - the highest, say officials, since 1975. At least 70 people who were marooned in the floods have been rescued from the Sasaram district, officials said. - BBC.

WATCH: Millions hit by floods in India's east and north.

THE GREAT DELUGE: Flood Submerges 600 villages in Orissa, India!

Flood condition worsened in Orissa on Friday with four major rivers submerging around 600 villages in the state.

Fresh flood in Brahmani, Baitarani, Budhabalang and Subarnarekha rivers following a heavy downpour wrecked havoc in Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore and Mayurbjanj districts, officials said. "Jajpur was cut off from rest of the state as a portion of 120-year-old bridge on Baitarani river at Sathipur caved in," District Collector Anil Samal said. "Vast stretches of national highways connecting Panikoili to Keonjhar, Keonjhar-Jashipur and Kamakhyanagar-Bhubana were inundated in flood waters, paralysing vehicular movement," Works Secretary S K Ray said. Also several state highways in Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj were submerged in many places, throwing traffic out of gear. Meanwhile, chief minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the flood situation at a high-level meeting here and deputed three senior officials to worst-hit Jajpur, Bhadrak and Kendrapara to monitor and supervise rescue and relief work. Helicopters available with the state for anti-Naxal operation will be pressed into service for air dropping of relief materials for the marooned people from tomorrow, Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra said. - Times of India.

WATCH: Coastal districts in Orissa suffering from Floods.