Govt to prepare new disaster mgmt plan

Bhubaneswar: To strengthen its fight against natural disasters, the state government started the process to prepare block, gram panchayat and village-level disaster management plan. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) is providing technical support to prepare the disaster management plan while the plan is being prepared in accordance with the recent amendment in the Panchayati Raj Act. The OSDMA has been conducting orientation programmes for district and block-level officials to prepare the plan.
Now we have state and district-level disaster plan with the help of which we brace for any disaster, including cyclones. The plan to have block, panchayat and village-level disaster management plan is aimed at a specific role for officials, panchayati raj institution members and community members, said a senior government official.
According to the plan, more than 40,000 volunteers at village level will be trained in basic skills of disaster preparedness while the OSDMA will also prepare their database to use them during disasters. These volunteers will be trained about their roles before disasters, during disasters and post-disaster restoration and rehabilitation.
In the first phase, the state government has planned to prepare the disaster management plan for 22 disaster-prone blocks in coastal areas.
Odisha faced 16 natural disasters in the past 11 years causing colossal loss to the public and private properties. Official sources said the state was hit by 10 cyclones, three droughts, two severe floods and one untimely rain during 2010 and 2021.