By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was on Sunday thanked Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharam for endorsing Odisha’s model in disaster management.“Thank you @nsitharamanji for endorsing #Odisha’s ability to manage disasters through the unique model of community participation. Instilling local ownership, strive for #ZeroCasualty & addressing needs of most vulnerable form the core of #OdishaModel,” tweeted Naveen Patnaik@Naveen_Odisha.
Earlier the Union Minister Sitharaman in her tweet had lauded Odisha Government. “Post Phailin, the UN had recognised Odisha’s preparedness as a ‘global success story’ and made plans to use it as a model for other cities.” Good read. Well done Odisha,” she tweeted @nsitharaman.
The New Delhi based Observers Research Foundation has carried an exclusive report on Odisha titling “Following the Odisha example for developing community based disaster management in India,” written by ORF’s Junior Research Fellow at Kolkata, Sohini Bose.
The Reports said, the eastern state of Odisha in India, situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, frequently suffers from cyclones, floods and occasional tsunamis. Hence it has often been referred to as the ‘disaster capital’ of the country. However in early August this year, it was two coastal villages in Odisha, Venkatraipur in Ganjam district and Noliasahi in Jagatsingpur district which earned the recognition of being ‘Tsunami Ready’ from the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, making India the first country in the Indian Ocean Region to establish such high levels of disaster preparedness at the community level.
Odisha has recurrently been in the news in recent years for the exemplary way in which it has managed to cope with the disasters that have struck its coast and affected its people. Community based disaster risk reduction is at the very heart of Odisha’s approach towards disaster management. One of the central themes of the state disaster management plan states that “community based disaster preparedness is the key to effective disaster management.”
This is because during any disaster, communities are always the worst affected and the first to respond. Community participation in the process of disaster management therefore ensures local ownership, addresses local needs and promotes a culture of mutual help to prevent and minimize damage. As India is increasingly trying to develop a system of community based disaster risk reduction and management in the country, it is important to understand how Odisha has tackled recent disasters with the community at the forefront. The distinguishing features of Odisha’s way of disaster management which has earned it global appreciation therefore need to be identified, the report said.
