Over 30,000 people, residing in the tsunami-prone villages in Kendrapada are now panicked as the sea level has been on the rise.
The Special Relief Commissioner Odisha has decided to instal Tsunami Early Warning System at some of the tsunami prone villages in the State. As the device would detect tsunamis in advance and issue warnings to prevent loss of life and damage, the system would create an early alert. As a result, it has been decided under the National Risk Mitigation projects to instal Tsunami Early Warning System at 20 tsunami prone villages, including 11 in Rajanagar block and nine in Mahakalapada block. But the project is yet to be started and gathering dust, informed Emergency Officer of Kendrapada Rajanikanta Mohanty.
As many as 64 villages, which are settled within 1.5 km radius of Bay of Bengal, were identified as tsunami prone by the OSDMA in its GIC survey.
The survey was conducted more than a decade back in the district after tsunami wrecked havoc at Tamil Nadu in 2004.
Around 18 villages under six panchayats of Mahakalapada block and 46 villages under six panchayats of Rajnagar block have been identified as tsunami prone.
The OSDMA in its Geographical Information Centre (GIC) had also identified many villages, located within 1.5km radius from the sea coast, in Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Ganjam , Bhadrak and Baleswar districts as tsunami prone. later, experts gave presentations on the necessity of being prepared for a tsunami.
Except, organizing some mock drills at the cyclone shelters of OSDMA in regular intervals to create awareness and educate the seaside villagers how to save their life and property, nothing has been made in the district. Even, the mock drills are organised most of the time without the knowledge of the Emergency Department, informed Mohanty.
Meanwhile, the State Government will hold a high level meeting to instal the proposed Tsunami Early Warning System at the selected tsunami prone villages, stated Mohanty.
To construct shelter belts in the coastal areas to protect the villages from the nature’s fury like cyclone, storm, ingress of tidal wave and tsunami, the Central Government in collaboration with the World Bank had allocated funds to eight States, including Odisha, under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme (NCRMP).
The shelter belts under the programme were earlier proposed to include regeneration of mangroves in the coast, widening of saline embankments and afforestation in the coast and heightening and strengthening of saline embankments.