Bhubaneswar, Oct 29(Odisha.in) As the state observes the 8th anniversary of the Super cyclone-1999, Monday the focus is now shifted to Tsunami and Earthquake as far as the preparedness and risk mitigation is concerned.
“With the threats of natural calamities like Tsunami and earthquake looming large in Orissa ,there is need for greater preparedness to reduce the impacts of the disaster, we have selected this year’s theme – Preparedness for earchquake and Tsunami disaster”, Nikunja Kishore Sunderroy, Managing Director, Orissa Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) told Odisha.in in an interview.
After Cyclone and Floods, Orissa, with over 480 km coast-line is now bracketed as Tsunami prone.
The fresh survey by OSDMA has identified as many as 328 villages along the 1.5 sq.km in the Bay of Bengal coast spread over six districts- Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam, Kendrapada, Bhadrakh and Balasore as vulnerable to Tsunami, informed Sunder ray.
“The task is gigantic how to mitigate the risk of tsunami and OSDMA is certainly doing its rounds to combat the natural calamity”, he said.
He added “we are going to organize two day workshop and training programme on 30-31 October preceding the observance of the Disaster Preparedness Day and National Day for Disaster Reduction on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of Super cyclone on Monday”.
Experts from UNDP, IIT Chennai, Indian Meteorology, and Geography have been invited to participate in the workshop and sensitizisaton program. Eminent Scientist Prof. Sunder Vadivellu HoD Ocean Engineering who already visited Puri, Pentha in Rajnagar is scheduled to give his presentation on Tsunami and Sea Coast Erosion, sources said.
As many as thirty Science teachers of high schools belonging to the six coastal districts have been invited for training. They would sensitise the local public how to face the calamity, the sources said.
Since preventing the natural calamity is not possible, OSDMA, the pioneer Disaster Management Agency in the country has evolved strategies to reduce the impact of Tsunami. Accordingly, OSDMA has prepared village level planning to let the people in the vulnerable areas in the coast aware to mitigate the impact, Sunderray said.
He said, OSDMA has plans to set up special Tsunami shelters in the coastal Areas Prone to possible Tsunami and modify the existing cyclone shelters to house the people in distress.
Since road communication in the coastal areas is a far cry, he said, plans are there to construct roads connecting the Tsunami and cyclone shelters, he said adding that awareness program will be the key area for OSDMA.
Besides, Tsunami , Earthquake is another disaster that threatens Orissa as most of the important places like state capital Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Hirakud, Talcher-Anugul, Jharsuguda, Paradeep fall in Earthquake Zone –III, informed an expert in OSDMA.
And to reduce the impact, steps have already been taken to constructs earthquake resistant buildings particularly in the urban areas by involving the local development
Authorities, it said adding that already 1500 Junior and Executive Engineers and Around 500 masons have been imparted training in this connection as part of the Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme sponsored by the Union Ministry for Home Affairs.
Concerned over the new phenomena of sea cost erosion which Sunderray has become another major problem, OSDMA Managing Director said “we are in the look out of strategies how to combat the situation”.
Odisha.in