Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will collaborate with the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), based in Thailand, to manage all kinds of disasters.
The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority on Friday signed a MoU with RIMES to enhance the early warning system for effective management of all disasters in the state.
"Our government is collaborating on the development and pilot implementation of decision support systems for automating risk assessment, advisory generation and dissemination. This will empower the state disaster management authority in the assessment and management of risks from flood, tsunami, drought, heat wave, lightning and road accidents," chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who was present at the MOU-signing event, said.
Initially, the agreement will remain in force for five years with a cost involvement of about Rs 8 crore.
RIMES is a UN-registered international and inter-governmental institution, owned and managed by its 48 members and collaborating states for building capacities in the generation and application of user-relevant early warning information.
Odisha is prone to multiple and recurring natural disasters. Almost every year, the state experiences floods, cyclones or droughts. In 1999, Odisha was devastated by a super cyclone, and the Phailin and Hudhud cyclones in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Last year, the state had witnessed droughts, pest attacks, unseasonal cyclonic rain and flood.
Following the 1999 super cyclone, Odisha initiated efforts to effectively handle disaster management in community participation. It set up the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority and formulated a disaster management policy. Several states followed the model thereafter.
In 2013, the government, with a "zero casualty" approach, evacuated around nine lakh people from vulnerable areas prior to cyclone Phailin and received praise from UN agencies.
The Tamil Nadu government has collaborated with RIMES to enhance its early warning systems for all natural hazards, said a senior official of the state disaster management department.
