Odisha has made a substantial advancement in its coastal disaster preparedness, achieving a total of 100 villages certified as ‘Tsunami Ready’ after UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) recognized 74 additional coastal settlements.
The new certifications were announced on Monday in Bhubaneswar during a collaborative meeting involving the National Tsunami Ready Board (NTRB) and the Odisha government.
This achievement represents a significant step forward in a program that commenced in 2019, when Noliasahi in Jagatsinghpur district and Venkatraipur (also called Boxipalli) in Ganjam district became the first recognized communities. This initiative positioned India as a frontrunner in the Indian Ocean Region, with Odisha as the first state to implement these preparedness protocols. Prior to this latest addition, 24 villages received accreditation in 2024, bringing the total to a significant milestone.
The new certifications came after two days of site assessments on September 26 and 27, evaluating five coastal districts: Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur. Assessment teams reviewed the local alert systems, public awareness of hazards, and the organization of response drills, engaging directly with the coastal populations.
Findings from these evaluations were discussed at a high-level meeting co-chaired by Balakrishnan Nair, the director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), and Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, the managing director of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
During this meeting, board representatives briefed Suresh Pujari, Odisha’s Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, on their conclusions. Pujari praised the groundwork laid by the board and the vigilance demonstrated by local residents while providing strategic recommendations to enhance the state’s maritime safety framework.
The UNESCO-IOC initiative operates as a performance-driven community model that unites emergency management agencies, scientific institutions, regional authorities, and community leaders. Its primary aim is to protect lives, infrastructure, and coastal livelihoods from tsunami threats through early detection, community education, and efficient evacuation procedures. This system is currently active in 22 countries within the Indian Ocean region.
Furthermore, state officials have identified 381 coastal settlements that are particularly susceptible to tsunami risks, with ongoing efforts to train and certify each of these areas in a systematic manner.
