Early Warning System To Be Commissioned In Odisha By March

Bhubaneswar: Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi on Wednesday
reviewed the progress of implementation of the Early Warning
Dissemination System (EWDS) project with Additional District
Magistrates (ADMs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs) of coastal
districts of Odisha and senior officials of the concerned departments
to sort out various issues as Odisha is all set to commission it by
March 2018.

At the meeting, Sethi requested officials of the concerned departments
to complete all the pending works on a war footing basis. He said that
while power supply to the alert towers will be provided out of
existing connections, at Fish Landing Centres, where no government
official is available, a responsible person from fishermen society
need to be identified to look after the upkeep of communication equipment.

“At community buildings, a responsible person from community will be
identified. Similarly, the concerned departments will have to indicate
the names of the officials/ teachers to be in charge of EWDS equipment
installed in schools, Panthanivas, FLCs, Anganwadi Centres, GP
offices and police stations”, the SRC added.

The EWDS is the first of its kind automatic public address system in
the country. It will help the state to warn a vast population residing
along its coast from the state headquarters through loud Sirens from
towers installed at 122 locations, in the event of the occurrence of
natural disasters like a tsunami or a cyclone. Some of the technical
features of the project include satellite based mobile data voice
terminals ((SBMDVT), digital mobile radio (DMR), mass messaging system
to be operated from the state emergency operation centre and universal
communication interface to allow inter operability among different
communication technologies like VHF, HF, Ham Radio, DMR, Mobile Phone,
Land Line etc.

Alert Siren System at 122 locations near the coast (within 1.5 km
approximately) will cover Tourist Places, Fish Landing Centres and
entire coastal habitations.

Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) for Last Mile Connectivity
is being implemented under Component-A of World Bank supported NCRM
Project. It aims at establishing a fool-proof communication system to
address the existing gap of disseminating disaster warning up to the
community level.

Being implemented in 22 blocks under 6 coastal districts (Balasore,
Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri and Ganjam) the cost of the
project is 100% grant in favour of the State by Government of India
through World Bank. AMC cost for 3rd, 4th and 5th year will be borne
under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

The representatives from TCIL, departments of Fisheries & Animal
Resources Development, School & Mass Education, Energy, Tourism,
Public Relation, Home and others present in the meeting assured full
cooperation for early completion of the project.

The State Executive Committee in its meeting held on Tuesday under the
chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi had  extended the
completion date of project to March 31, 2018.