the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (cag) has condemned the Orissa government and the state pollution control board (pcb) for their failure on various fronts, including lapses in checking deterioration of water quality in major rivers of the state. In its latest report, cag has said that due to the lack of proper management by the pcb , water quality in major rivers has deteriorated. "As of March 1999, the board has not utilised Rs 510 crore,' notes the cag report. Industrial effluents, mine drainage water, untreated sewage from urban settlements and run-off from open defecation on the river banks have polluted surface water, thereby, causing health hazards, the report observes. Review of the implementation of the environmental acts and rules relating to water pollution reveal that the government did not monitor their enforcement effectively.

The report states that the ecology of the unique wetland Chilka has been badly affected due to drainage of untreated wastewater from domestic and agricultural sources. "Though Rs 19.31 crore was spent to preserve the wetland, they are no conclusive evidence of its improvement.' The cag report even castigates the state government for the relief measures taken after the Orissa super cyclone. A large part of funds intended for relief work remained under-utilised even a year after the cyclone. The report says that the government's preparedness to meet calamities of high magnitude is insufficient.