The State Government is preparing to chalk out a practicable disaster management plan, which would benefit the State during natural calamities.
To begin with, the Department of Rural Development and the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have joined hands to work out a well-designed plan to provide safe drinking water during the disasters. A workshop was organised here under the chairmanship of Rural Development Minister Badri Narayan Patra, where Minister of State for Rural Water Supply Pradip Panigrahi was also present. Principal Secretary Rural Development CJ Venugopal, UNICEF Chief Field Officer Yumi Bae and Department for International Development’s (DFID) Supriya Patnaik spoke on the occasion. During the disaster situations, keeping the drinking water supply sources in tact is simply not possible and in such situations the role of Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWS&S) wing of the RD Department often comes to mind. From the past experience, the UNICEF and the RD Department have together planned a more practicable disaster management plan, which would help the RWS&S functionaries to cater to the distressed people with their need of safe drinking water at the time of natural disaster situations.