Odisha govt signs two MoUs to strengthen disaster preparedness

As Odisha has been experiencing calamities like cyclones, floods, and heat waves frequently, the state government has now decided to train women members of the self help groups SHGs under the Mission Shakti scheme.

The Odisha government has signed two MoUs to deal with natural calamities in future with rising vulnerability and frequency of cyclones in the state, an official said on Wednesday. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has inked the MoUs with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the World Food Programme (WFP), an autonomous joint subsidiary programme of the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he said.

The MoUs were signed on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Odisha Super Cyclone of 1999, which killed thousands and impacted millions.

The OSDMA's agreement with the WFP is ''for the online, self-paced, learning management and to strengthen capacities that will build greater preparedness to reduce the impact of disasters'', the official said.

"The WFP will design e-modules as a learning management system on disaster risk reduction for government officials, elected representatives, and citizens of the state for awareness creation on disaster management," said OSDMA executive director Kamal Lochan Mishra.

The second MoU was signed between OSDMA and CEEW, a non-profit policy research institution, to establish a framework of activities on heat wave management, he said. Both the partners would form the basis for joint collaboration in executing the research project, the official said. Under the agreement, both will work for research, analysis, technical assistance and policy advisory aimed at preparing the state administration for efficient management of resources for building resilience against climate risks such as floods, monsoon variability, and cyclones with a special focus on extreme heat, Mishra said.

The proposed areas of cooperation include developing a comprehensive heat action plan for Odisha and providing any additional technical assistance required by the OSDMA to ensure the successful monitoring and execution of the heat action plan, the official said.

"CEEW will lead research and advisory on the policy, scientific and technical front with joint support from OSDMA," he said.

Both OSDMA and CEEW also agreed to consult each other prior to any release or publication of data generated through jointly conducted research or activities undertaken as part of this MoU. CEEW will partner with OSDMA to formulate a heat wave action plan (HAP) for Angul, Boudh, Baripada, Cuttack, Jharsuguda, Parlakhemundi, Rourkela, Sudargarh, Sambalpur and Titlagarh, the official said. As Odisha has been experiencing calamities like cyclones, floods, and heat waves frequently, the state government has now decided to train women members of the self help groups (SHGs) under the 'Mission Shakti' scheme. Women can play a vital role in disaster risk reduction and mitigation, another official said.

'Mission Shakti in collaboration with OSDMA will provide basic training to SHG members in 3,922 panchayats of 14 disaster-prone districts. At least 50 SHG members of every panchayat will be imparted training to reduce casualties and quick recovery during natural disasters, the official said.

The 'Mission Shakti' is planning to train as many as 1.81 lakh SHG members in the next one year, the official said, adding that 200 SHG members of Ganjam and Chhatrapur have so far been trained in the rescue and evacuation process.

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