BHUBANESWAR: In a significant move towards strengthening marine research and coastal monitoring on the eastern seaboard, the Odisha government has cleared the decks for establishment of a coastal marine observatory in Puri.
Sources said the marine observatory will come up with the regional centre and a field station of Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
While the state government will provide land, the Centre will bear the cost of construction and equipment. The Science and Technology department has asked NIOT to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) outlining the technical specifications, infrastructure requirements, equipment deployment, scientific objectives, staffing pattern and estimated financial outlay for the proposed facilities.
“The district administration of Puri has already identified 10 acre of land in Balukhanda mouza for the observatory centre and staff quarters apart from 1.7 acre of land for connecting 40 ft approach road. The NIOT has been informed about the land identification and specifications,” sources said.
The proposed facility will be developed as a high-end scientific institution with advanced technological capabilities. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring systems capable of real-time data collection and transmission.
The choice of Puri as the site for the facility is strategically important, given Odisha’s long coastline along the Bay of Bengal and its vulnerability to cyclones, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The marine observatory is expected to enhance real-time monitoring of the sea, wave dynamics, oceanographic parameters, shoreline changes and marine ecosystem.
Apart from continuous monitoring of oceanic and atmospheric parameters to enhance early warning capabilities and enable authorities to anticipate extreme weather events more accurately, officials said, the facility could also support lightning detection and forecasting systems, helping reduce casualties caused by lightning strikes, which have emerged as a major weather-related hazard in the state.
The regional centre is also expected to support initiatives linked to the blue economy, fisheries management, coastal engineering solutions and emerging areas such as ocean energy.
Additional chief secretary of Science and Technology Chithra Arumugam said, “The centre will facilitate in-depth study of weather systems, marine biodiversity and climate-linked ocean variations. It will also help the state in anticipating lightning and enhance climate resilience and coastal security, while reinforcing its preparedness against natural disasters.”