In order to minimise damage during calamities like cyclone, the State Government is harping on resilient housing and infrastructure projects.
As per the latest available data, combined economic loss of the State during cyclones like Fani, Titli and Phailin is calculated as Rs 40,447 crore which is equivalent to 5.7 billion US Dollar.
The financial loss of Odisha during last cyclone Fani amounts to Rs 29,315 crore alone.
Against the backdrop, the State Government is stressing upon establishing strong framework of disaster risk governance and integration of the principle of resilience in every sector in order to achieve substantial reduction in economic loss.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Odisha Government has received international acclaim for significantly reducing the loss of lives from nearly 10,000 in the year 1999 Super Cyclone to less than 100 in the recent cyclones Phailin and Fani.
In the meantime, technical teams of UN, ADB and World Bank visited the cyclone affected pockets of the State and discussed with State officials regarding strategy for building resilient projects.
As per the latest official report nearly 3.62 lakh units of houses across the 14 affected districts of Odisha were damaged during Fani. All the kutcha houses were fully destroyed and the semi pucca houses along the coastline sustained significant damage.
The total recovery in the housing sector leads to an amount of Rs 8,996 crore which includes resilient houses. The assessment team consisting of experts has proposed establishment of 99 housing facilitation centers at the block level with technical engineers and assistants.
This technical team will have to work over a period of 18 months alongside house owners, masons and carpenters to oversee training and construction. It is proposed to make available the quality construction materials at the doorsteps.
The team assessed that infrastructure sector needs at least Rs 21,000 crore for recovery due to damage in Fani. In the affected districts, at least 6,441 public buildings, comprising 590 under the urban local bodies, 914 under rural works department, 2,016 under the Public Works department and 2,721 under the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, suffered damaged worth about Rs 544 crore.
As severe calamities like cyclone and flood are visiting the State frequently, it is proposed to develop resilient infrastructure in order to minimise damage in future.
Apart from building resilient housing and infrastructure, it is also planned to develop resilient livelihoods in the State.