Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to set up automatic rain gauge centres in all the gram panchayats of the state for effective management of drought.
Special relief commissioner PK Mohapatra who attended a state level empower committee on disaster management chaired by Chief Secretary A P Padhi, said so far 502 rain gauge centres had already been set up and 610more rain gauge centres would come up soon.
Mohapatra said that ten more Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team would be made operational before June this year. He said the committee Thursday approved a sum of `70 crore for the purchase of equipment needed for the rescue and relief operation for the newly created ODRAF teams.
The SRC said all the cadres in the ten ODRAF team were imparted training and the teams would start functioning before June next. He said the committee also approved to procure equipment worth `25 crore for the existing ten ODRAF teams and `15 crore for the construction of houses for the ODRAF personnel.
The SRC said the committee also approved the decision to create three fire fighting force and purchase 15 types of emergency equipment valued `8 crore for them.
Mohapatra said the committee decided to set up early warning dissemination system in 22 blocks of six districts. All the systems would be made operational before April next. He said the government targeted to put up 122 automatic sirens along 480 km long coast to provide advance information about tsunami, cyclone and flood to the people.
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