Government stands committed to collaboration with NGOs and private sector players for realising its mission of zero casualty in disasters. Presently, tragedies like lightning, drowning and snakebite are fast emerging as killers
Bishnupada Sethi, Special Relief Commissioner
Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to prepare 30,000 village-level disaster management plans so as to tackle the issue at the grassroots level while also turning the focus on lightning, drowning, snakebite etc.
Chief General Manager of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) Subhendra Kumar Nayak said the new step of preparing Village Disaster Management Plan (VDMP) was initiated this year. Earlier, the plans were being prepared at the state and district level.
Around 30,000 disaster vulnerable villages have been identified in the state. Among them, 10,000 most vulnerable villages have been taken up for preparation of VDMP during the current year, he said while addressing a state level consultation on GO-NGO partnership for disaster management organised here Monday.
Nayak sought active involvement of NGOs in the matter with their suggestion, input and village data base.
After having gained international acclaim in flood and cyclone management, the state government has now also brought lightning, drought, drowning, snakebite and water stress management also under OSDMA.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi said, “Government stands committed to collaboration with NGOs and private sector players for realising its mission of zero casualty in disasters. Presently, tragedies like lightning, drowning and snakebite are fast emerging as killers. On an average 1800 people are losing their lives in these incidences every year.”
Lightning and snakebite death put the affected family in disaster and cause great loss to the state’s economy, Sethi pointed out. Water stress is also emerging as a new challenge with ground water level sinking, the SRC added.
Jagadanda, Member CSO Working Group NITI Ayog, said “We need decisive community action at ground level for making Odisha disaster resilient”.
Former Member Board of Revenue Aranbinda Behera suggested to prepare a coordination framework between GO and NGO at the state level and carry it forward with increasing level of perfection.