Odisha’s 24 Coastal Villages Recognized as ‘Tsunami Ready’ by UNESCO

GG News Bureau
Bhubaneswar, 15th Nov. Twenty-four coastal villages in Odisha have been officially recognized as “Tsunami Ready” by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. This recognition was awarded during the 2nd Global Tsunami Symposium held in Indonesia on November 11, 2024.

The villages, located across six districts—Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, and Ganjam—are now part of an elite group of communities globally that are prepared for potential tsunami threats. Additionally, two villages, Noliasahi in Jagatsinghpur and Venkatraipur in Ganjam, had their Tsunami Ready certificates renewed after first receiving the recognition in 2020.

The recognition comes after a thorough assessment, where IOC-UNESCO and members of the National Tsunami Ready Recognition Board (NTRB) verified the preparedness of these coastal villages based on 12 key indicators. These included the training of stakeholders, community awareness programs, the development of tsunami management plans, mock drills, and the identification of safe evacuation routes.

The effort to prepare these villages for potential tsunami threats has been an ongoing initiative by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA). The state government has identified 381 villages along the coast as tsunami-prone, with plans to make all such communities “Tsunami Ready” through comprehensive preparedness efforts.

The recognition is a significant step in enhancing the resilience of Odisha’s coastal regions, ensuring that they are better equipped to handle a natural disaster of such magnitude. Officials emphasized that these measures not only protect lives but also improve overall community safety and disaster response mechanisms.