Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bijayshree Routray on Mondayinformed the State Assembly that the State Government has already taken steps to use the latest science and technology in mitigation and effective management of natural calamities like floods, cyclones and drought.
Replying to a question by MlA Ashwini Kumar Patra and additional questions put by a host of other members, the Minister said steps have been taken to make the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) more effective. “It has been decided to increase the number of ODRAF teams from 10 to 20 which will be deployed in the flood-prone areas,” the Minister added.
Routray said the Doppler radar installed at Paradip and three others to be installed at Gopalpur, Sambalpur and Baleswar would send out warning on natural calamities well before three to four hours and thus many lives and properties can be saved.
Stating that the Government is in touch with many international agencies that provide information through the geo-stationary or other satellites, the Minister said an international-level tender has been floated for implementation of the last Mile Connectivity programme under the World Bank-funded National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) to get prior information on cyclones and Tsunami. The Centre would spend full amount of Rs 38 crore required for the project.
“The OSDMA is going to purchase 60 modern INMAR SAT ISAT Phone-2 for which Chenai-based Elecktronik lab has been issued a work order after national-level tender process,” he informed, adding that training is also being given to concerned district and State level officials on Geographic Information System (GIS) and India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN). The Minister said the Government has decided to adopt new cultivation methods to deal with drought situation.