Bhubaneswar: UNESCO has awarded “Tsunami Ready” certificates to two coastal villages in Odisha for their greater preparedness to face a tsunami disaster.
The two villages — Venkatraipur of Rangeilunda block in Ganjam district and Noliasahi of Ersama block of Jagatsinghpur district — were acknowledged for their overall preparedness to face the calamity by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO at an event on Friday.
The award ceremony was graced by Dr Srinivas Kumar Tumala, UNESCO-IOC Officer, AM Kodijat, Indonesian Professor Expert Duikorita Karnavati, Additional Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, and other officials.
On December 14, 2019, a UNESCO team had visited Odisha to discuss preparations for tsunami and the various measures taken. The two villages received the recognition as “Tsunami Ready” after the delegates submitted the final reports.
Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), which was set up following the 1999 super cyclone that claimed 10,000 lives, has implemented the Tsunami Ready programme in the state.
