The State Government has proposed to extend the existing Early Warning Dissemination Systems (EWDS) and set up the outdoor lightning alert system in 300 most vulnerable locations in the State with a cost of Rs 100 crore.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) Managing Director Bishnupada Sethi has proposed to the Central Government for these disaster mitigation measures under the backdrop of very severe cyclone “Titli”, which affected nearly a dozen districts.
While the coverage area of present EWDS is limited to cover only three kilometers of the coastal track very severe cyclone Phailin severely affected 10 km from the coastline, so it is necessary to cover the rest seven km of the coastal track, said an OSDMA official.
Under this backdrop, it is proposed to establish additional three contiguous lines of EWDS parallel to coast to cover 10 km coastal area. The systems would be placed at the roof top of multi-storied building and all the communication equipment would be mounted on the five metre pole above the buildings.
GPRS system would be used as the communication medium for activating the siren system and dissemination of voice messages. To cover three lines parallel to the 480 km coast, with approximately three km distance between two locations, 480 alert sirens would be required.
As per the estimate, Rs 68.64 crore will be required for the extending the EWDS project area up to 10 km from coastline.
Secondly, lightning has emerged as a major killer during the recent times in the State. In comparison to other natural calamities, the number of death cases due to lightning is much higher in Odisha.
On an average, lightning alone claims more than 400 human lives in the State annually. After the 1999 Super Cyclone fury, the post 17 year period snatched more than 5,000 people struck by lightning.
Therefore there is an urgent need to adopt better strategy for dissemination of warnings to the general public. An innovative and automated system for lightning and severe weather is proposed which could be audible in villages where people are out in the open area and have the least access to the SMS messages.
In the first phase, 300 locations in 30 most lightning prone blocks are proposed to be covered with a cost of Rs 31.36 crore. So both the projects would cost Rs 100 crore and it is needed most for the State due to its vulnerability, said the OSDMA officer.