Bhubaneswar: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organisation (IOC-Unesco) has recently recognised communities of 24 tsunami prone coastal villages under six coastal districts of the state as ‘tsunami-ready’ during the 2nd Global Tsunami Symposium in Indonesia.
Tsunami-ready recognition certificates for Noliasahi of Jagatsinghpur district and Venkatraipur village of Ganjam district were also renewed at the event. These two villages were recognised as tsunami-ready in the year 2020 by IOC-Unesco. IOC-Unesco’s Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) was implemented in 24 villages, including Jagannathpur, Jayadevkasabapahi, Sahapur and Kanyanagari in Balasore, Mohanpur, Adhuan, Badahabelisahi and Sanakrushnapur from Bhadrak, Kantilo, Tantiapal Sasan and Kaitha from Kendrapara, Bagheipur, Dhanuharbelari, Sahadabedi and Bhuyanpal from Jagatsinghpur, Keutjanga, Narasinghpatana, Khalakatapatana and Chhotipada from Puri and Uppulaputti, Prayagi, Kantiagada and Markandi from Ganjam. Various activities, including training and capacity building of various stakeholders, community awareness programmes, distribution of tsunami awareness posters and leaflets, preparation of tsunami management plans, conducting mock drills, identification of evacuation routes, installation of hoardings and evacuation signage were taken up in these villages.
Members of the National Tsunami Ready Recognition Boards (NTRB), with INCOIS, Hyderabad scientists and officers of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) visited these 26 coastal villages for verifi cation of the 12 necessary indicators under TRRP in September. After detailed verifi cation of the indicators, the NTRB members recommended IOC-Unesco for recognising the communities of these 26 coastal villages as tsunami-ready communities. The recognition certifi – cates were presented by Vidar Helgesen, Assistant Director General of Unesco and Executive Secretary, IOC-Unesco to E Pattabhi Rama Rao, Scientist G, INCOIS, who represented India during this Symposium held in Indonesia.
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Unesco’s assistant director general and IOC-Unesco’s executive secretary Vidar Helgesen presented the recognisation certifi cates to INCOIS’s scientist Rao, who represented India in the symposium. Odisha is currently having 381 tsunami prone coastal villages and habitation. Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) aims at making the coastal communities of all tsunami prone habitation as tsunami-ready in phased manner. It may be recalled that in the year 2004, tsumani wrought havoc claiming close to 2.3 lakh lives in Asia.
