Bhubaneswar: Drawing lessons from past experiences, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is contemplating to distribute its resources by setting up hubs and sub-centres for better disaster management in all parts of Odisha which is prone to natural catastrophes including floods and cyclones.
NDRF DG SN Pradhan informed that Odisha is a pioneer in disaster magement and efforts are on to make it even better by developing a disaster response grid with dedicated hubs in north, south and western Odisha.
“We want a complete configuration with Munduli as the main hub and sub centres or hubs in western, north and south Odisha. The plan is to create a disaster response grid which will benefit the State to a greater extent,” said Pradhan.
At present, NDRF personnel are being despatched from Munduli in case of any emergency situation in Hirakud or even neighbouring Chhattisgarh. Hence, to minimize the response time, sub centres will be set up in different parts of the State and country.
Pradhan further informed that cyclone Fani has taught everyone that climate change has induced uncertainty into natural phenomenon. Besides, there was slight delay in carry out reconstruction works as no focus was given on disaster resilient infrastructure.
“We had never conceived the impact of climate change while no stress was given on urban planning. There is a need for replanning and several issues including how to tackle urban flooding is one of the major challenges now. A lot of countries are coming forward for a coalition for disaster resilient infrastructure in urban areas and India is leading the campaign,” Pradhan added.