BHUBANESWAR: Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday said the state government is planning to undertake dredging of several rivers for improving water discharge and strengthening flood management.
Addressing mediapersons after inaugurating ‘Suraksha’, a disaster management training hostel established by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) on the city outskirts, Pujari said the project aims to improve water discharge and reduce the risk of floods.
“Rivers in Jajpur, Balasore and Bhadrak districts will be dredged in the first phase. The department is studying drainage management methods adopted in states such as Kerala and Goa,” he said.
The minister said the long-term flood mitigation and river-cleaning initiative will focus on clearing blockages, desilting and deepening riverbeds, which would go a long way in tackling recurring floods. He added that riverbed and estuary dredging could also help address severe summer drinking water shortages and clear heavily silted navigation channels used by local fishing communities.
The dredging projects will focus on removing silt, improving water flow and reducing the risk of floods and drinking water shortages, he said.
Speaking at the inauguration, Pujari said the new hostel marks a significant milestone in strengthening residential and training infrastructure at the State Institute of Disaster Response (SIDR) and will further bolster the state’s disaster management system.
The newly-constructed ‘Suraksha’ hostel has 107 twin-sharing rooms, including 27 air-conditioned rooms, along with seven specially designated guest rooms. The facility also has a dining hall and other allied amenities. The hostel will provide residential accommodation for senior government officials, faculty members, experts and participants attending national and international training programmes, workshops, conferences and other events organised at SIDR.
