BHUBANESWAR: After having gained international acclaim in flood and cyclone management, the State Government has now brought lightning, drought, drowning, snake bite and water stress management to focus of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
“The State Government stands committed to collaboration with NGO and private sector players for realising its mission of zero casualty in disasters,” Special Relief Commissioner and OSDMA Managing Director Bishnupada Sethi said.
Inaugurating the State level consultation on Government and NGO (GO-NGO) partnership for disaster management here on Monday, Sethi said, “Presently the tragedies like lightning, drowning and snake bite are fast emerging as killers.”
On an average, 1,800 persons per year are losing their lives in these incidents. Lightning and snake bite deaths put the affected family in great difficulties and cause huge loss to State’s economy. Similarly, water stress is fast emerging as a new challenge with ground water level sinking down, he added.
There are different ways and means of countering these disasters and minimising their distressing effect. GO-NGO coordination could strengthen and intensify both the preventive and management actions, Sethi said.
NITI Aayog’s civil society working group member and CYSD founder Jagadananda said, “We need decisive community action at ground level for making Odisha disaster resilient.”Most recently Niti Aayog has constituted a standing committee to find out the ways of making GO-NGO coordination more transparent, sharp and effective. Now it is the time of joint action through proper understanding and mutual sharing, he added.
Chief General Manager, OSDMA, Subhendra Kumar Nayak outlined the objectives and expected outcomes of the consultation. He said OSDMA has initiated the new step of preparing Village Disaster Management Plan (VDMP).
Around 30,000 disaster vulnerable villages have been identified in the State. Of them, 10,000 most vulnerable villages have been taken up for preparation of VDMP during the current year.Former Member, Board of Revenue Aranbinda Behera, Binayak Prusty, chairperson, Inter Agency Group, Abha Mishra, State Head UNDP and Manoranjan Behera, State Inter Agency Coordinator also spoke.Around 100 delegates including representatives from state, national and international NGOs, UN Agency, Government departments and academicians participated in the deliberations.