Odisha's 'zero-casualty' approach succeeded against cyclones. Evaluate whether it is adequate for multi-hazard, multi-wave monsoon events.

Odisha adopted its 'zero-casualty' goal after the 1999 Super Cyclone, and it made the state a global benchmark. Before Cyclone Phailin (2013), close to a million people were evacuated and deaths stayed below 50 [1]. The 2026 monsoon brought wave after wave of Bay of Bengal systems. It shows the model is necessary but no longer sufficient.

Why it succeeded, and what still carries over

• Built for a single event: a cyclone has one landfall, a few days' warning and one mass evacuation, after which people return home [1].
• Strengths that transfer: the chain from warning to evacuation, the shelters and the trained responders still save lives. In August 2026, red alerts and relief operations were active in Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar as a fresh low-pressure system approached [3].

Where it falls short for multi-wave, multi-hazard monsoons

• Compounding risk: each spell falls on soil that is already saturated, so the danger builds over weeks. By mid-August, 5.15 lakh people were affected and 947 villages were inundated [3].
• Terrain mismatch: the Mahanadi, Brahmani and Baitarani share one flat delta with poor drainage [2]. The hilly south faces landslides. A cyclone system designed for the coast does not cover these hazards.
• Zero deaths is not zero damage: crop loss, destroyed homes and contaminated drinking water in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur [4] do not show up in a casualty count. Repeated evacuations also leave people no time to sow, earn or repair between waves.
• Weak flood infrastructure: the CAG found long delays in approving Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), and flood works that were not planned across whole river basins [5].

Verdict and way forward The approach is adequate for saving lives but inadequate for protecting livelihoods. Reforms:

• IMD warnings based on cumulative rainfall and its impact, not just the next day's forecast.
• Planning across whole river basins and a separate yearly budget for maintaining drains and embankments [5].
• Doorstep relief for landless, disabled and elderly people, who find it hardest to file claims.
• Using OSDMA's community network for slope monitoring and flood evacuation lists.

Odisha's cyclone model is the right foundation, but multi-wave monsoons test endurance more than one-time response. Moving from 'zero casualty' to 'zero avoidable loss' would give the state resilience across the whole season. It would fit the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Sendai Framework and SDGs 11 and 13, and keep Odisha the national benchmark.