Coastal communities in the State will soon be better prepared to face storm surges, high velocity winds, and flooding caused by cyclones. As many as 29 cyclone shelters will be constructed in vulnerable areas of the coast to relocate people displaced during extreme weather conditions.
The State Budget for 2015-16 has allocated Rs.28.16 crore for construction of the shelters in nine districts that bear the brunt of cyclone fury. The project will be taken up under the second phase of the World Bank-assisted National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP), which also involves establishment of early warning systems and training of officials in disaster management.
The World Bank will foot 75 per cent of the cost and the State government 25 per cent.
The proposed cyclone shelters will be multipurpose structures designed to house people displaced by cyclones, flooding, and other natural calamities. The facility is expected to obviate the need for schools and other institutions to be converted into temporary relief camps every time a cyclone unleashes its fury on the State.
Training of officials
Sekhar Kuriakose, head scientist, State Emergency Operations Centre, told The Hindu that the sites for construction of the 29 cyclone shelters were being finalised. “The early warning system to be established under the NCRMP will be a four-channel communication network at the taluk level. The capacity building component of the project involves training of officials.”
A risk assessment study is also scheduled to be taken up.
The NCRMP seeks to minimise vulnerability in cyclone hazard-prone States and Union Territories in the country and make people and infrastructure disaster resilient and in harmony with conservation of coastal ecosystems.
Apart from the construction and maintenance of the shelters, it also prescribes construction of coastal protection structures, installation of multiple modes of communication for emergency operations, and equipping communities to respond to disasters.
Odisha has completed 81 multipurpose cyclone shelters, while Andhra Pradesh has constructed 19 in the first phase of the NCRMP. Apart from Kerala, the second phase of the project covers the States of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka.
Shelters will be multipurpose structures
Early warning system to be installed
