The Odisha government has initiated consultations with national and international expert organisations to formulate an effective strategy to mitigate landslides in Gajapati district, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Friday.
Gajapati district, which borders Andhra Pradesh, is among the state’s most landslide-prone regions, with 129 vulnerable locations identified. The Minister said the government has launched surveys in vulnerable areas following recent landslide incidents, while senior departmental officials have visited northeastern states to study their landslide management practices.
Pujari said discussions are underway with expert institutions to develop a comprehensive mitigation plan for the district.
Reviewing the state’s disaster preparedness, the Minister also directed officials to formulate preventive measures to address coastal erosion in Odisha’s coastal districts. He further advised that houses built under government housing schemes in cyclone-prone areas should incorporate disaster-resilient features to better withstand extreme weather events.
The Minister said Odisha has identified 381 tsunami-prone coastal villages and developed them as Tsunami-Ready Villages through various preparedness initiatives. Of these, 26 villages have been recognised under the IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.
He said the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has signed an agreement with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, to modernise the state’s tsunami management and early warning systems. During the review meeting, Pujari assessed the existing forecasting mechanism with INCOIS officials and stressed the need to further strengthen the rapid warning system.