A high-level review meeting was chaired today at Lok Seva Bhawan by the Minister, Revenue & Disaster Management, Suresh Pujari, with senior officials of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
The meeting held detailed deliberations on the management of the recent flood situation and reviewed measures to further strengthen the State’s disaster management infrastructure.
The Minister emphasised the adoption of advanced technologies to enhance disaster preparedness and response. He also directed officials to expedite the construction of Multipurpose Cyclone/Flood Shelters at various locations across the State.
The meeting noted that post-flood damage assessment is being carried out on a war footing, with reports continuously being received from affected districts. As per the directions of the Hon’ble Minister, damage assessment has been undertaken within 72 hours of the recession of floodwaters.
Meanwhile, financial assistance amounting to ₹110 crore has already been released to 22 flood-affected districts. Among the major allocations are ₹22.03 crore to Balasore, ₹20.20 crore to Jajpur, ₹20.12 crore to Bhadrak, ₹8.18 crore to Jagatsinghpur, ₹6.11 crore to Keonjhar, ₹5.56 crore to Sambalpur, ₹5.04 crore to Kendrapara and ₹5.02 crore to Mayurbhanj.
The Minister informed that Odisha received 65% higher rainfall during July this year compared to July last year ; while Certain areas have experienced rainfall up to 97% above the normal level. Although floodwaters have receded in several rivers, water levels remain elevated at many places. While assessment of infrastructure damage is continuing across affected districts, district administrations have been directed to submit detailed reports by 5:00 PM tomorrow.
The Minister will also hold a review meeting tomorrow evening with senior officers of various departments, District Collectors, Block Development Officers (BDOs) and Tahasildars of the affected districts. The meeting will deliberate on flood mitigation measures, repair of breached embankments, desiltation and deepening of river channels & other long-term flood management initiatives.
The meeting further noted that Ministers and senior officers of various departments have already visited the affected districts, reviewed flood management and damage assessment at the field level and submitted their reports. Based on these assessments, compensation and restoration measures will be expedited.
Pujari stated that, in view of changing weather patterns and climate change, the State Government is committed to strengthening disaster management infrastructure through the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies.
At present, 122 Early Warning Towers have been installed along Odisha’s 573-km coastline. These towers will be modernised with the installation of 360-degree surveillance cameras. The State Government has also initiated measures to enhance the capabilities of these towers through satellite telecommunication systems and strengthen communication across all 314 Blocks by integrating modern high-speed communication technologies with the central control room.
Senior departmental officials have also visited Goa and Kerala to study their advanced early warning systems and best practices.
The Minister informed that the Doppler Weather Radar at Sambalpur has already become operational, while the proposed radars at Balasore and Bhubaneswar will be commissioned shortly. Repair and upgradation of the existing Doppler Weather Radars at Gopalpur and Paradip are also underway. In addition, a new Doppler Weather Radar will be established at Puri.
The Minister stated that once all these Doppler Weather Radars become fully operational, weather forecasting in Odisha will become significantly more accurate and precise, thereby considerably strengthening the State’s disaster preparedness and response mechanism.
The meeting also reviewed the recent flood situation and decided to strengthen reservoir management, water conservation, river water allocation and drainage management in the coming days. Water regulation across various river systems will be further improved through computerised monitoring and enhanced coordination with neighbouring States.
Addressing the issue of lightning-related fatalities, Pujari informed that the State Government has sanctioned ₹35 crore to the Forest Department for plantation of palm trees in agricultural fields as part of its strategy to reduce lightning-related deaths.
The meeting also discussed the adoption of advanced technologies to address urban waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already initiated work in collaboration with IIT Roorkee for this purpose.
The Minister reiterated that the State Government remains fully committed to strengthening disaster management infrastructure to ensure effective disaster response and safeguard every precious human life and public property.
