Odisha Floods: 19 Snakebites In 24 Hours But Extended Waterlogging Poses Growing Snakebite Risks| Special Report

Bhubaneswar: Nineteen snakebites in Twenty-four hours. The rate shows the growing enormity of the deadly reptile bites in the 6 flood hit districts.

With the waterlogging lingering across the north Odisha districts for over a fortnight, and may extend till the last week of August, the region that has already recorded a near 100 snakebites in August so far, may see the number spiking further.

As per the data shared on Thursday by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, the snakebite cases surged sharply in August this year, particularly when swollen rivers force prolonged waterlogging pushing people and snakes into the same elevated and habitable spaces.

SRC has been monitoring the snake bites cases in the flood hit zones regularly as the Odisha government has classified snakebite as a State-Specific Disaster (SSD), making the family of a person who dies of snakebite eligible for Rs4 lakh ex-gratia compensation.

However, the good news is that the flood hit zones have recorded zero mortalities so far.

August emerges as the danger month

A glance at  the historical SRC data from major flood cycles shows a clear concentration of snakebite cases during peak monsoon inundation.

In the current 2026 flood cycle, Odisha recorded around 40 snakebite cases in July, while the August caseload has already climbed to around 96–99 cases, taking the combined July-August tally to roughly 139 cases.

The worst-affected districts currently include Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Puri and Cuttack, mirroring the broader pattern seen during previous flood years.

The historical comparison is revealing.

Flood year	July snakebite cases	August snakebite cases	Key affected districts
2026	~40	96–99	Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Puri, Cuttack
2024	~110	135	Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Bhadrak
2023	145	~90	Balasore, Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar
2022	~85	180	Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha
2020	162	~115	Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara

A glance at the data reflects a pattern. State recorded large snake bites depending on the duration of waterlogging in flood. Here is an analysis below.

Hiss: Peak Discharge, Waterlogging And The Bites

A multi-year analysis of major flood cycles between 2020 and 2026 shows that snakebite cases rise sharply during severe inundation, particularly when river discharge approaches a critical threshold and floodwaters remain stagnant for prolonged periods.

 The current 2026 flood cycle, though still below the most dangerous historical discharge levels, is already showing the same pattern, with around 139 snakebite cases recorded during July and August.

The numbers reveal a flood-snakebite correlation

The historical trend is difficult to ignore.

Year	Flood severity	Peak discharge	Snakebite cases (July-August)
2020	Severe/Widespread	11.5 lakh cusecs	277
2021	Low to Moderate	6.2 lakh cusecs	65
2022	Extreme/Catastrophic	12 lakh cusecs	265
2023	Moderate	7.8 lakh cusecs	235
2024	High/Severe	10.8 lakh cusecs	245
2026	High/Active	9.5 lakh cusecs	139

The broad trend suggests that the bigger the flood footprint, the larger the snakebite burden. The report identifies a critical warning line at around 10 lakh cusecs. In the three major flood years of 2020, 2022 and 2024, when peak river discharge crossed this level, the total July-August snakebite caseload remained above 240 cases.

As embankments are breached and large stretches of low-lying land are submerged, snakes lose their normal ground habitats and are forced towards elevated areas – the very spaces where flood-hit people are also seeking refuge.

Not the volume of water that matters: Key Takeaway

The most important insight from the historical data is that river discharge alone cannot explain the snakebite burden.

The 2022 flood had the highest discharge in the period at 12 lakh cusecs. Yet it did not produce the highest caseload. The 2020 cycle, with a lower discharge of 11.5 lakh cusecs, recorded 277 cases, compared with 265 in 2022.

This suggests that duration of flooding can be more dangerous than the peak volume itself.

A rapid flood can push snakes out of their habitats temporarily. But prolonged stagnant water creates a much longer period of ecological displacement. Flood victims remain confined to embankments, temporary shelters, raised houses and other elevated locations. Snakes also seek the same dry spaces.

The result is prolonged human-wildlife cohabitation.

In other words, the peak discharge determines the scale of the initial ecological shock, while the duration of waterlogging determines how long humans and displaced snakes remain trapped together.

This is why 2020 and 2024 generated relatively high caseloads despite 2022 recording the highest water volume. The analysis suggests that stagnant inundation can sustain snakebite risk even after the peak flood discharge begins receding.

The bigger warning for Odisha

The above analysis suggests that the danger, therefore, does not end when the river begins to recede.

For Odisha, the flood may peak in the river first but the snakebite emergency can peak later on the ground.

With the current 2026 flood system holding around 9.5 lakh cusecs and the combined July-August caseload at 139, the state remains below the historical 240-plus danger zone seen in the biggest flood years.

But the multi-year pattern offers a clear warning: if the waterlogging persists for a longer duration, as CWC reports suggest the inundation to extend till August last week, snake bites could emerge as public-health emergency in days to come. 

Also Read: Flood In Balasore, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak To Linger Waterlogging Till Aug 25| Special Report