VIJAYAWADA: Greater assistance to reduce risks during disasters is needed for coastal communities as they are most vulnerable, State minister for home and disaster management Taneti Vanitha said during the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday.
Stating that Andhra Pradesh experiences one or other disaster every year, sometimes even multiple disasters in one year, she said cyclonic activities are continuously increasing on both eastern and western coasts.
Recalling the trail of destruction that Cyclone Nivar had left in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in November 2020, the minister said, “AP has been facing a serious problem of coastal erosion. There is a need for a programme to protect beaches and improve the management of shorelines. Frequent cyclones and strong wind hazards have a serious impact on developing coastal areas. People lose their houses, businesses, and livelihood. The loss of agricultural and plantation crops is huge.”
On what could help improve the situation, Vanitha explained, “We are keen to get more technical and financial assistance to address the problems in coastal regions. Climate change has posed a challenge for all of us and we need to address it together.”
Observing that coastal areas require more investment, she said, “A combination of mangrove and shelter belt plantations, and certain structural measures are needed to help prevent coastal erosion.” Elaborating, the minister said, “Though the State is providing assistance in the form of infrastructure like bridges and roads connecting cyclone shelters and saline embankments, it is difficult to recover from the adverse impact of the cyclones. The Central government with the help of the World Bank-funded National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) has helped us construct a large number of multi-purpose cyclone shelters (MPCS).
“We have constructed 219 MPCS in nine coastal districts. A few more districts have requested to expand the MPCS network and accordingly, a request has been sent to the Centre. However, we need to improve coastal housing so that evacuating lakhs of people every time a cyclone strikes is not required,” she added.
Over the recent years, early warning for cyclones has improved considerably with the help of IMD. As a result, people are being alerted about an impending cyclone in advance through digital mobile radios and satellite phones.
“Our Chief Minister Jagan has introduced a system of village and ward volunteers to ensure welfare schemes are delivered to people’s doorsteps. These volunteers are also trained in disaster management and help in evacuating people during cyclones. However, we still believe that early warning at the local level needs to be more accurate so that we evacuate only those who are at risk,” she explained.