Dikhyaa Mohanty 
A total of 6,578 people lost their lives due to lightning strikes, drowning, and snakebites in Odisha over the past two financial years, the state Assembly was informed. Responding to a query in the House, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said 3,439 deaths were recorded in 2023–24 and 3,139 in 2024–25.
Of the total fatalities, 3,860 were caused by drowning in various water bodies, 600 by lightning strikes, and 2,118 due to venomous snakebites, he added.
The Odisha government had, in 2015, classified heatwaves, lightning, boat capsizes, tornadoes, heavy rain, drowning, snakebites, and fire as state-specific disasters. This enables financial assistance to victims through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). In cases of death due to lightning, drowning, or snakebite, the government provides ₹4 lakh to the next of kin via direct benefit transfer, Pujari said.
Over the last two financial years, the state disbursed a total of ₹263.12 crore as ex gratia to the families of the 6,578 deceased, he added. Data shared in the House showed that more than 200 drowning deaths were reported from districts such as Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Ganjam, and Cuttack. Meanwhile, most snakebite-related deaths were reported from Balasore, Cuttack, Ganjam, and Keonjhar.
