Odisha Working To Strengthen Early Warning Systems For Disaster Risk Reduction: Suresh Pujari

Bhubaneswar: Proper early warning system is key to successful handling of disasters, Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari said on Tuesday.

He was speaking at a function marking a consultation with United Nations India and Reliance Foundation. “We are working collectively to further strengthen early warning systems, and we are happy that Odisha has been chosen as the first state to start this series of deliberations. The Odisha government works with various stakeholders on minimising the intensity of natural disasters. We will be working with the UN, Reliance Foundation and all other stakeholders for suggestions and technological assistance. We request the organisations we work with to find ways to integrate disaster prediction with information analysis for greater accuracy in early warnings.”

The Odisha convening, titled ‘Early Warning to Early Action – A Multi-Hazard, MultiStakeholder Approach: Learning from Coastal Ecosystems’, is the first in a series that Reliance Foundation and the UN India are organising. The gathering highlighted Odisha’s leadership in early warning and early action in a disaster-prone coastal area with focus on livelihoods and gender.

Pujari claimed that Odisha has become a role model for the entire country in disaster management, having successfully faced natural disasters in the past. He said that the state government has shared its experience and exchanged ideas with other stakeholders on the severe cyclonic storm Dana that hit Odisha coast in the early hours of October 25, besides lessons from handling natural disasters in the past.

UN-Resident Coordinator India, Shombi Sharp, and CEO of Reliance Foundation, Jagannatha Kumar also addressed the inaugural session.

Experts from state and national disaster management agencies, including the National Disaster Management Authority, India Meteorological Department and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, UN organisations, researchers, policy experts, academia and nongovernmental organisations were also part of this in-depth discussion.