Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a significant milestone in disaster preparedness, with 100 coastal villages now declared Tsunami-Ready under the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.
Seventy-five villages have received Tsunami-Ready recognition this year, taking the total to 100 villages.
Odisha has thus taken another step towards its goal of preparing all 381 tsunami-prone coastal villages and habitations in a phased manner.
The state government has placed sustained emphasis on scientific disaster preparedness, community participation and building resilient coastal communities.
The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has steadily expanded the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme across the state’s six coastal districts as per Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s directive in 2024.
Members of the National Tsunami Ready Board (NTRB), following field verification of coastal villages on September 26 and 27, apprised Suresh Pujari, minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, of their observations and findings.
The minister appreciated NTRB’s efforts and the communities’ preparedness.
The NTRB visited Nidhipada and Gudupahi in Balasore; Muladihi, Bhatapada, Amarnagar and Nuagaon in Bhadrak; Sailendrasahi and Bhateni in Kendrapada; Motto and Singharpal in Puri; and New Kirtipur (1008), Laxmipur, Noliasahi and Ramtara in Jagatsinghpur.
Board members interacted with local communities and reviewed their awareness, preparedness and response mechanisms for tsunami hazards.
NTRB members appreciated the active participation of local communities, their awareness and knowledge about tsunami hazards, and their readiness to respond to a tsunami emergency. The board also appreciated the systematic preparedness measures undertaken by OSDMA and the state’s continued efforts to translate scientific early-warning systems and disaster-management protocols into effective community-level preparedness.
The field assessment provided an opportunity for national experts and disaster management officials to appreciate Odisha’s institutional preparedness and the sustained efforts of OSDMA.
A meeting of the NTRB was held on Monday in Bhubaneswar, under the chairmanship of INCOIS director Balakrishnan Nair and OSDMA MD Rajesh Prabhakar Patil.
The meeting reviewed the field verification carried out by the board across coastal villages in six districts.