The coastal state, often exposed to vagaries of nature’s fury, will be equipped with telemetric rain gauge in all gram panchayats, automatic weather stations at block headquarters and sensors in the river systems for further invigoration of its disaster control mechanism.

These steps will help the state to get precise real time information for more effective management of disasters, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.

Patnaik was speaking at a function held to observe the Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day and National Day for Disaster Reduction here on Saturday.

The chief minister pointed out that the geographic location exposes Odisha to natural disasters.  Nearly 10 thousand people died in Super Cyclone 1999. Then, we did not have safe shelters. Over these years, 815 multi-purpose cyclone and flood shelters have been constructed. 55 new shelters are under construction out of Chief Ministers’ Relief Fund.

To strengthen community driven preparedness, the government agencies are imparting training to more than 40 thousand volunteers at village and shelter level.

Further, the government is taking up capacity building of elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, Mission Shakti Members, ASHAs, Anganwadi Workers, Vana Surakhya Samiti (VSS) Members, as they play a key role in disaster risk reduction, Patnaik said while listing out strategies to contain the natural disasters.

Besides, disaster and pandemic management is being introduced in the educational curricula of students from standard 4 to graduation level in an attempt to prepare disaster management Yodhas (warriors) in every village and households.

After the 1999 Super Cyclone devastated Odisha, triggering loss of lives and properties, the state government has done everything possible to make the state a safer place during disasters, Patnaik claimed.

Odisha today has the most robust infrastructure for disaster management. The world has recognized the government’s disaster-resilient efforts in all these years.

During 2022, the state faced floods in the Mahanadi, Baitarani and Subarnarekha River systems, affecting more than 23 lakh people in 16 districts.  Due to robust preparedness and coordinated efforts, nearly 2.7 lakh people were evacuated to safer places and timely relief and restoration measures were initiated, he concluded.