Bhubaneswar: Odisha is going to be the first state in the country to put in place Early Warning Dissemination System (Ewds). The chief minister Naveen Patnaik would inaugurate the advance warning system by November 15, 2017.
The warning siren systems have been installed at 122 locations within 1.5 km of six coastal districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Puri and Ganjam to disseminate cyclone and tsumani warning to the people. About 328 villages in 22 blocks of six coastal districts have been identified as prone to tsunami in Odisha.A protocol has been developed to ensure that people have no difficulties in understanding the gravity of situation depending on the number of sirens that would go off from such towers.
A model of the Ewds was displayed at the Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day observed on the anniversary day of 1999 Super Cyclone, here on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said, “Today, is the day to remember those who lost their lives in super cyclone in 1999. Since then, Odisha has become a model State for world in disaster preparedness and risk mitigation.”
Stating that Odisha government’s continuous efforts are on to minimize the loss of life and property, he said so far, 879 multipurpose cyclone and flood shelters, 17,000 ODRP houses for Phailin affected of Ganjam and Khurda districts, 571 houses at R&R site at Bagpatia for sea inundation affected people of Satabhaya in Kendrapara district have been constructed.
State revenue and disaster management minister Maheswar Mohanty, chief secretary AP Padhi, managing director Odisha State Disaster Mangement Authority (Osdma) PK Mohapatra, and Special Relief Commissioner Bishnu Pada Sethi also spoke on the occasion.
