Odisha to install early warning system for flood and cyclone

The Odisha Government has started work on installation of an Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) in the coastal districts, officials said. The warning system will help the state prepare for frequent floods and cyclones. 

The EWDS with a cost of Rs 66 Crore was being installed in six districts- Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra here.

Mohapatra said as many as 122 warning towers would cover 22 calamity sensitive blocks along the coast. 

"The effort is to reduce the veracity of the impending calamities like flood, cyclone and tsunami," the SRC said, adding, each warning tower would have a coverage area of three to four kilometres. 

He said the warning towers would blow siren about two hours prior to the arrival of any calamity. 

The people as well as the administration would get adequate time to face the eventuality, he said. 

The project would be implemented under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP). 

Stating that the project was assisted by the World Bank, the SRC said, "Odisha would be the first state in the country to install EWDS to provide early warning to the people living in disaster prone areas". 

Larson and Toubro (L&T) has been assigned the work. The company has been asked to complete the work as early as possible, Mohapatra added.