Western Orissa Research Articles

Designing and estimating an amphibious house using lightweight materials to mitigate the devastating effects of floods

Floods are the cause of massive-scale destruction. Flooding is a natural process that cannot be restricted or prevented from happening. Everyone must be prepared to minimize the damage caused in flood-prone areas. It is challenging to live against the water, but it is possible to live with the rising water. Due to rapid population growth, there is no more free land to live away from marine areas, so people are forced to live in areas near the sea or rivers. There is a law of nature: When the time comes, nature treats humans as humans have treated it. Misunderstanding human needs leads to the destructive use of new technology. In order to fulfill the unlimited desires of human beings, an imbalance is created in the environment, causing the temperature of the earth to rise and creating a problem such as global warming. Cloudbursts are also responsible for the occurrence of floods. Over 40 million hectares of the total 329 million hectares of geographical area are at risk of flooding. Floods in India over the past three decades have not only caused significant financial losses but also affected millions of people and claimed nearly 4,000 lives. Recently, after the cloudburst in Uttarakhand and Western Orissa, the situation was so bad that some people became homeless, and others lost their lives. This paper highlights the significant financial losses and the impact of flood disasters on the people of India. This paper presents amphibious house design as a potential solution, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions to address the challenges caused by flooding. Efforts have been made to focus on the construction of a house in flood-prone regions that ensures the safety of lives and assets. An amphibious house of 10 m * 10 m for EWS/LIG/ MIG has been designed, and the estimated cost is Rs 2,11,799.

Clinico-epidemiological profile of congenital ocular anomalies in Western Odisha

Congenital birth defects are major cause of poor health among infants affecting their survivability. Although such anomalies of the eyes are uncommon, the impact they have on the quality of life are more than significant. This study aimed to describe the clinical profile of congenital ocular anomalies with various epidemiological parameters in a tertiary health care center in western Orissa. The study screened 3674 patients, in the age group of 0 – 14 years, who were delivered or attended the out-patient Department V.S.S. Medical College, Burla, Odisha and included 151 eyes of 99 cases of various types of congenital anomalies. Detailed history and other necessary data were collected by trained ophthalmologists and descriptive analyses performed. The incidence of congenital ocular anomalies was found to be 2.69%. Nasolacrimal duct anomalies (47 eyes) were the most frequently occurring congenital ocular anomaly (31.1%); followed by congenital cataract (41 cases; 27.3%) and coloboma eye (18 cases; 11.9%).There was a slight male preponderance, constituting 56.57% of the total cases. Majority of the patients were less than 5 years old (68 %) and the incidence of congenital ocular anomalies to be highest (68.69%) in the age group of 0 – 5 years.

English

BACKGROUND Malignancy of oral cavity is quite a common disease entity in Western part of the state of Odisha. This is because of prevalence of habits like smoking, chewing tobacco, and consumption of alcohol. Ignorance about the severity of the condition in early stages leads to delayed diagnosis. METHODS A study was undertaken in Bhima Bhoi Medical College, Bolangir, in Western Orissa from October 2018 to September 2020 to study about different patterns of presentations and histopathological variations of malignancy of oral cavity in this part of Odisha. Patients were thoroughly clinically evaluated, examined, and appropriate investigation protocol was followed to record data. RESULTS About 0.33 % of all patients coming to the outpatient department (OPD) were found to be suffering from carcinoma of oral cavity. Maximum number of cases were males in the 5th and 6th decade with squamous cell carcinoma. Predisposing factors like areca nut and pan masala consumption were noted. A majority of patients were cultivators from lower middle-class families. Other common groups were businessman and industrial workers. They had come with burning sensation in the mouth and restricted mouth opening as complaints. Xerostomia, fibrous bands in mouth, cervical lymphadenopathy were signs that were detected. Cheek was seen to be a primary site of lesion in large number of cases followed by tongue and lip. CONCLUSIONS In spite of them being easily assessable, patients ignored their symptoms leading to delay in reporting to healthcare facility. As the patients were from disadvantaged background, by the time they came to hospital, they were in an advanced stage (stage three). Squamous cell carcinoma is very common in this part of Orissa. Proper guidance to the patients about the symptoms and risk factors will go a long way in early diagnosis and a more favourable outcome post treatment. KEYWORDS Malignancy, Oral Cavity, Predisposing Factor, Stage

Development interventions, adaptation decisions and farmers’ well-being: evidence from drought-prone households in rural India

Evidence suggests that the developing countries are highly vulnerable to various climatic shocks now and in the foreseeable future, while they are already encountering various developmental issues such as poverty, food security, malnutrition and inequality. Over the years, several development interventions have been undertaken to address these issues. Although recent studies particularly emphasize the need to integrate climate change adaptation into development planning, empirical analysis of causal relationships is less explored, specifically in India. Consequently, this study firstly attempts to identify whether synergies exist between development activities and agricultural adaptation decision-making. Secondly, it assesses the impact of such decisions on farmers’ well-being. The empirical analysis is based on a survey of 549 rural households in drought-prone regions of western Odisha, India, where western Orissa rural livelihoods project was implemented in the last decade to improve the living standards. Using an ‘endogenous switching regression approach’, this study reveals two findings. Firstly, livelihood interventions enhance the likelihood of undertaking farm-level adaptation measures, and the other drivers are access to technical education, formal and informal institutions and agricultural extension services. Secondly, adaptations lead to significant gains in income from crops. The paper concludes with implications for policies to promote various rural livelihoods projects in rural India. From a broader policy perspective, it is imperative to integrate climate change in development planning to reduce the risk of maladaptation.

Can Developmental Interventions Reduce Households’ Vulnerability? Empirical Evidence from Rural India

Vulnerability is a multidimensional concept incorporating notions of risk and poverty. While it has been established that higher incidence of poverty in developing countries exacerbates vulnerability, the role of risk requires closer inspection. Developmental interventions in these countries target poverty reduction, which in turn, could reduce vulnerability. However, a key question is whether developmental interventions reduce the vulnerability and risks faced by households. To answer this, the present study empirically examines the impact of developmental interventions on the vulnerability of households in a rural Indian setting. The major advantage hence is that it not only looks into the impact on aggregate vulnerability but also its different components such as poverty, covariate, idiosyncratic and unexplained risks. Empirical analysis is based on a survey of 800 households in the drought-prone villages of western Odisha, India, where a key developmental intervention, Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Project was implemented during the last decade. Adopting ‘vulnerability as expected utility’ approach, this study reveals three major findings. First, both aggregate risk and poverty are the dominant sources of vulnerability, with the former accounting for a sizable share. Second, the households that benefited from livelihood interventions are found less vulnerable. Third, the other major determinants of vulnerability are education, access to social network, family size and crop-diversification. From a policy perspective, results support continuation of these programmes, but realigning these also target risk reduction.

Comparative Analysis of Market Led Initiatives by Producer Groups in Odisha

The study was carried out during 2013 to compare range of market-led initiatives (MLIs) pursued by 88 producer groups, covering 9 districts in the state of Odisha. Producer groups have been evolved under 5 different programs viz. Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Swarna Jayanti Sworojagar Yojana (SJSY), Orissa Tribal Empowerment Livelihoods Project (OTELP), Farmers’ Club (FC), Western Orissa Rural Livelihoods Project (WORLP). Based on the empirical observations on collective action undertaken by the producer groups, the range of MLIs has been classified into 5 categories viz. input aggregation, access resources (credit), access technology, value addition and marketing. Highest proportion of producer groups under ATMA, SGSY, OTELP, FC and WORLP had been reported to access technology (30.20%), access resources (30.00%), access resources (25.76%), marketing (30.13%) and access technology (29.04%) respectively. The project wise comparison of range of MLIs by X2 test recorded significant difference at 1% level. Thereafter, the enterprise-wise comparison of range of MLIs yielded that highest proportion of producer groups with agriculture/horticulture, livestock/fisheries, mixed system, agri-processing and others (off-farm) enterprises undertake MLIs such as input aggregation (26.21%), access technology (28.00%), input aggregation (27.72%), marketing (28.13%) and access resources (27.17%) respectively. The X2 test conducted to compare the results of enterprisewise comparison of range of MLIs resulted in significant difference at 5% level. No significant difference was observed between MLIs when compared agro-climatic zone wise. Therefore, facilitators engaged in formation, supporting and strengthening of producer groups should inherently align the purpose of group formation with that of range of MLIs undertaken, so as to accomplish the desired outcomes.

A Quantitative Approach to Profit Optimization and Constraints of Mixed Cropping Pattern in Bargarh District Of Western Orissa

Mix-cropping is profitable to the farmers. However there are production and marketing problems challenging its adaptation for the mass .The present study aims at analyzing profitability and constraints of mixed cropping pattern (i.e. the production of fruit, vegetable and other non-cereal crop along with the basic rice crop) in the area under study. An attempt has been made with Linear programming Model to compare the profitability of actual and suggested (optimum) production mix farming method considering the primary data collected from 400 sample farm households of three different villages (irrigated, tailed-irrigated and non-irrigated) located in three different blocks of Bargarh district of Orissa. Despite the profitability nature of the mix-cropping pattern the farmers in the area under study are not in a position to adopt and adapt this type of cropping, they are highly concentrating on the rice based and biased cropping as evident from the research result; this may be due to certain constraints that discourage them to go for Mix-cropping.

Response of diazotrophic cyanobacterium Nostoc carneum under pesticide and UV-B stress

A study was under taken, under controlled laboratory conditions, to investigate the influence of non-ionizing radiation (UV-B) and an organochlorine pesticide on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, protein content and DCPIP photoreduction of a cyanobacterium Nostoc carneum. Test algae was isolated from rice field soils of Sambalpur, Western Orissa, India and grown in nitrogen free BG 11 culture medium. Culture of algae from log phase of growth was treated with 5ppm of the insecticide, Endodhan and UV-B (20mWm−2) for 2h daily, separately and in combination of insecticide and UV-B radiation. Algal samples treated with UV-B and pesticide separately showed distinct inhibitory effects on growth, pigments, protein content and DCPIP reduction of the test samples. However, when pesticide treated samples were subjected to UV-B exposure, the effect showed additive as well as synergetic effect. Experiment conducted to check the ability of the organism to recover from the stress, exposed for various time periods, suggest their ability to partially recover from the stress.

Destination Marketing Through Film Tourism: A Study on Western Orissa

Film tourism is a growing phenomenon worldwide, fueled by both the growth of the entertainment industry and the increase in international travel model for exploiting film tourism marketing opportunities. Tourism destination marketing is now widely recognized as an essential component in the management of destinations. In harmony with the general marketing literature, which understands marketing as a management tool, some researchers understand destination marketing as a form of 'market-oriented strategic planning' and hence as a strategic approach to place development rather than a promotional tool.Tourists today are more experienced and looking for new destinations and new experience. In the tourism industry, there has been a growing phenomenon that tourists visit destinations featured through films which are not directly related to DMOs' tourism promotion. This is a new form of cultural tourism called film-induced tourism which still receives little attention from both academic and practitioners due to the lack ofknowledge and understanding on the benefits of film on tourism. Recent research suggests that films can have strong influence on tourist decision-making and films do not only provide short-term tourism revenue but long-term prosperify to the destination. The primary focus of this article is to provide a theoretical insight into the relationship between films induced tourism and destination imagery, which in turn can be used to market Western Orissa.

High prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti infection as detected by immunochromatographic card testing in five districts of Orissa, India, previously considered to be non-endemic

India accounts for over one-third of the world's burden of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Although most coastal districts of Orissa state (eastern India) are LF-endemic, the western districts of Orissa are considered non-endemic. During a large-scale insecticide-treated bed net/microfinance trial, we tested one randomly selected adult (age 15-60 years) for LF from a random sample of microfinance-member households in five districts of western Orissa, using immunochromatographic card testing (ICT). Overall, 354 (adjusted prevalence 21%, 95%CI 17-25%) of 1563 persons were ICT positive, with district-wide prevalence rates ranging from 15-32%. This finding was not explained by immigration, as only 3% of subjects had ever lived in previously known LF-endemic districts. These results therefore suggest ongoing autochthonous transmission in districts where LF control programs are not operational. Our results highlight the importance of broad, systematic surveillance for LF in India and call for the implementation of LF control programs in our study districts.

The status and use of tree biomass in the tribal village ecosystem of Bolangir District, Orissa, India.

The status of tree biomass resource was investigated in 3 tribal villages (Chikalbahal, Kudasingha and Bhutiyarbahal) of Bolangir District of western Orissa. There were 57 tree species with 12 tree capita-1 and 35 trees ha-1. Multiple benefits yielding local tree species dominated the village ecosystem, while fuel only or single end use trees accounted for a small proportion of trees. The standing tree biomass was adequate to meet the requirements of the biomass fuel for cooking only for five years. Village tree biomass is presently being depleted largely for export to urban areas. So, it is high time to conserved the village tree diversity by proposing some programmes which will reduce the urban pressure and demand for tree biomass. Key words: Village tree diversity, standing biomass, tree depletion, fuel wood, local name, India, biomass equation.

Politics of water: The case of the Hirakud dam in Orissa, India

Although three quarters of the globe is covered with water, there is a crisis for fresh water. In the next two decades many countries might fail to provide safe drinking water to their citizens if there is no cooperative and systematic effort. The best way out would be to store and utilize the runoff in the rainy season. Large dams have been found to be popular for this purpose. While these are useful for flood control, irrigation, navigation, power generation followed by ancillary secondary and tertiary benefits, these also cause untold human miseries. However, large dam construction would be an ongoing phenomenon across the world and more so in the era of globalization as many professionals and politicians tend to believe in mega projects supported by a powerful lobby. In this paper we examine the case of the Hirakud dam, the longest earthen dam in the world, built in Sambalpur district, Orissa, India in the light of a duality in human geography-determinism vs. possibilism-and a neo-Marxist stand point of centre-periphery approach. We find that river Mahanadi has been tamed temporarily in the name of developmental initiative in western Orissa but the political agenda was to save the eastern coastal plain and especially Cuttack city from the ravage of flood. The construction of the dam; the subsequent human sufferings, of the dam oustees and the affected population of about 22,000 households; and the recent concentration of important mile posts of Orissa in the coastal plains have accentuated the long standing cultural differences between the periphery and the centre, the hills and the plains, the silent and the vocal, the simple and the clever. Mindless mining and installation of so many extracting polluting industries and power plants in the districts of Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Sundergarh and the subsequent demand on the Hirakud reservoir and pollution of river Mahanadi led to simmering discontent in western Orissa. Resistance movement before the construction of the Hirakud dam was crushed by the political strategy of divide and rule and the overarching image of the Congress in the early years of Independence. Recent outcry in the form of Western Orissa Liberation Front and Kosala Rajya has resulted in Western Orissa Development Council to take up the problems of western Orissa. While some people in the command area have prospered, the oustees and the affected persons of the Hirakud dam still live under the stigma of reservoir oustees (budi anchalar loka); feel that the coastal people have been the cause of their sufferings and cherish the desire of going back to their homeland in the event of breach of the dam. Let us be careful of the sound of the distant drum! Key words: Water, politics, displacement, underdevelopment, discrimination.

Fluoride distribution in different environmental segments at Hirakud Orissa (India)

Fluoride is a major pollutant originating from aluminium smelting polluting the air, water and soil. An Aluminium smelter has been operating at Hirakud in western Orissa since 1958 producing primary aluminium by Horizontal stud Soderberg Technology. Starting with a capacity of 10,000 T of aluminium per annum in 1959 it has increased its capacity to 1,00,000 T in 2007. A detailed investigation undertaken during 2005 - 2006 on fluoride status of Hirakud environment reveals that the fluoride content varied from a minimum of 0.5 to a maximum of 0.65 (ppm) in pond water, 0.4 - 0.60 mg/L in ground water, 88.30 - 191.20 in soil, 23.75 - 65.96 in paddy straw, 15.60 - 70.36 in grass and 10.00 - 44.60 in leaf tissue. The level of bioconcentration of fluoride in relation to surface water ranged from 79.30 in vegetation to 304.21 in leaf tissues. Key words: Flouride, water, soil, vegetation, bioconcentration.

Income and its variability in a drought-prone region: seasonality, location and household characteristics

This paper investigates three questions in a poor and drought-prone region of western Orissa, India. Is aggregate income stable? How do a household's characteristics and its local environment influence both the level of its income and its variability? Does a short-lived, common shock cause significant income variability? The study is based on an original, three-season panel data set of 240 households, in which one monsoon season was marked by a severe drought. Aggregate income varied little, but there were considerable fluctuations in individual household incomes across seasons, the main sources of which were idiosyncratic shocks. This suggests that although current programmes are effective in stabilizing aggregate income against drought, massive additional intervention along the same lines is not an efficient way to combat a drought's effects. Rather, it is desirable to promote suitable insurance arrangements to deal with idiosyncratic shocks, measures which would complement those designed to raise incom...

Oculosporidiosis in a tertiary care hospital of Western Orissa, India

Oculosporidiosis in a tertiary care hospital of Western Orissa, India

Rural Credit Market Imperfections in Drought Prone Bolangir District in Orissa: Some Critical Issues and Policy Options

The paper analyzes the nature of contractual arrangements, interlinkages and imperfections observed in the rural credit market today in drought prone Bolangir district in western Orissa. It examines the differential access of different farmer categories to formal and informal sources of credit, their purpose of borrowing and mode of credit utilization. It tries to trace out the different types of impediments faced by the farmers in . Availing credit from institutional sources and suggests some innovative measures to improve their access to credit. The study reveals that the benefits of credit reforms hardly reached the target group. The poorest of the poor still approach the village moneylenders and traders for credit. Though majority of loans were originally sanctioned for cultivation and other productive purposes, significant diversion occurred towards current consumption. Cumbersome and time consuming banking procedure, failure to supply credit at t/uf time of need and rigid collateral requirement are the major hindrances causing poor access 10 formal credit institutions. The crop loss due to natural . Calamities and the unproductive utilization of borrowed funds resulted in rising default rate and delayed loan repayments. The study concludes that keeping in view the local socio-economic and ecological conditions, the rural credit policy needs to be revamped to make the rural credit market more efficient and responsive to the needs of the local population in the drought prone region.

Clinicoepidemiological profile of 590 cases of beetle dermatitis in western Orissa

Beetle dermatitis is a very common condition in western Orissa. It is often misdiagnosed and causes significant morbidity among the rural population. This study was conducted to determine the epidemiological and clinical profile of beetle dermatitis in western Orissa. All clinically diagnosed cases of beetle dermatitis were included in the study. Detailed history was taken and thorough clinical examination was conducted in all the cases. One urban and three rural localities were visited regularly to detect the epidemiological trends of the disorder. A total of 590 cases were studied: 486 males and 104 females. The age of the patients ranged from 2 to 65 years. Forty-four percent of the patients belonged to the pediatric age group. Majority of the cases (85%) presented during the months of March to July, indicating a distinct seasonal trend. The disorder was prevalent in the localities nearer to paddy and sugarcane fields and grasslands with stagnant water. The clinical lesions included papules, erosions, crusted lesions, urticarial plaques and vesiculobullous lesions. Distribution was mainly linear, but kissing lesions were also observed. Head, neck and upper extremities were the most commonly involved sites. Lymphadenopathy and systemic features such as fever and malaise were observed in 24% and 15% of the cases, respectively. Beetle dermatitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of the acute onset of vesiculobullous lesions in the endemic areas.

Oculosporidiosis in a tertiary care hospital of western Orissa, India: A case series

The authors present a case series of 54 subjects of Rhinosporidium. They were reported in two years at a tertiary care hospital of Western Orissa. The clinically diagnosed cases by ophthalmologists were confirmed by histopathological samples following surgery. In our series, we noted Rhinosporidium seeberi organisms as the main causative agent. Males were affected three times more than females. Children less than 10 years of age comprised more than 50% of our series. In 91% of cases, the conjunctiva was the site of this infection. Total excision of fungal mass was carried out in all cases and two cases had recurrence between 9 and 12 months following intervention. Although this is an endemic area for such infestation, unilateral manifestation observed in all cases is interesting to note. Low recurrence rate in limited follow-up period could be due to early detection and standard management.

A Sickle Cell Disease Carrier Family with a Pair of Dizygotic Twins from Kalahandi District of Western Orissa, India

The sickle cell disease is a genetically inherited commonly encountered hematological disorder that causes high degree of morbidity, mortality and fetal wastage. The suspected cases of hemoglobinopathies suffering from anemia are routinely referred from different peripheral Primary Health Centres and Hospitals in the state of Orissa (India) to our Centre for detailed investigations and genetic/marriage counselling. Of these, a scheduled caste (Domb) family with twin children was referred from Kalahandi district of the state and was studied in detail. A carrier couple of sickle cell disease had born twin offspring with both carrier as well as the homozygous sickle cell disease. It is a rare occasion when a single pregnancy carries either two or more distinct abnormal genotypes at a time in a womb in human beings. Dizygotic twins are genetically different and provide appraisal of the expression of different genotypes under the same environment.

A Sickle Cell Disease Carrier Family with a Pair of Dizygotic Twins from Kalahandi District of Western Orissa, India

A Sickle Cell Disease Carrier Family with a Pair of Dizygotic Twins from Kalahandi District of Western Orissa, India