The Odisha Government has signed an MoU with the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) for the protection of coastal areas from various natural calamities like flood, cyclone, soil erosion and high tide, etc.
The Odisha coastal areas face natural calamities every year due to the effects of climate change. Seven districts namely Ganjam, Puri, Khordha, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Jagatsinghpur will get benefitted out of the initiative.
This will help these districts to get technological knowledge and design from the NIOT, Chennai, for coastal area protection. The districts have already faced cyclones like Phailin, Hudhud, Titli, Amphan, Bulbul, Yash, Gulab, Jawad, etc., in the past years.
Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra, besides the Water Resources Secretary and the NIOT Director, were present, while Ganjam Collector Dibya Jyothi Parida among others attended through video conferencing from Chhatrapur.
In the first phase, work will be carried out in 199 km coastal areas of Kendrapada, Baleswar, Bhadrak Jagatsinghpur and Puri and in the next phase, Ganjam and Khordha will be included. The expenditure will be made by the State Government from its own resources.
For the last few years, villages like Arjipalli under Chhatrapur block, Podampeta under Ganjam block and Rameyapatna of Chikiti block have been facing sea water inundation and many houses of these villages are completely destroyed.