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Odisha will install four more Doppler weather radars to enhance forecasting of cyclones, floods and heavy rainfall. The government also reviewed disaster mitigation projects, flood and cyclone shelters, heatwave centres, and El Niño preparedness to strengthen the state’s disaster management capabilities

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to install four more Doppler radars in the state soon, a minister said.

Doopler radars will help in the forecast of natural calamities like cyclones, floods, and rainfall, the minister said.

The decision to install the radars was taken at a high-level review meeting presided over by Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday.

Pujari said the new Doppler radars will soon be commissioned at Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Puri and Paradip. The state presently has two active Doppler radars at Paradip and Gopalpur.

“The installation of the Doppler Weather Radar at Sambalpur is nearly complete and will be inaugurated shortly,” the minister said, adding that similar facility at Balasore, Bhubaneswar, and Puri are to be commissioned within the current year.

Doppler radar is a scientific equipment that tracks the frequency of reflected radio wave changes and facilitates meteorologists to map wind speeds, track storms, and predict severe weather like cyclones and heavy rain.

Pujari directed all concerned departments to expedite the implementation of projects under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), ensuring their completion well before the stipulated timelines.

While reviewing the progress of the construction of Multipurpose Flood and Cyclone Centres, the minister instructed the concerned departments to identify the proposed sites in various districts at the earliest, ensure effective inter-departmental coordination, and expedite the construction of these centres.

The minister also directed departments that the proposed heatwave centres in the identified vulnerable districts be completed and made operational before the onset of the next summer season.

The meeting also reviewed the state’s preparedness in view of the potential impact of El Nino. It was decided that close coordination would be maintained with the Water Resources Department to ensure optimum utilisation of reservoirs, irrigation projects and water storage facilities for irrigation purposes, an official statement said.

The meeting was attended by senior state government officials and IMD.