District-Level Disaster Preparedness Meeting Held in Balasore Emphasis on Urgent Measures for Flood Mitigation and Drainage Leak Repair
Balasore, May 22 (Krushna Kumar Mohanty): Known for its vulnerability to natural disasters, Balasore district continues to take proactive steps to enhance disaster preparedness. On May 21, a significant district-level meeting on disaster risk reduction was held at the newly inaugurated auditorium under the chairmanship of District Collector Suryabanshi Mayur Vikas.
Among the attendees were Bhadrak MP Abhimanyu Sethi, representative of Balasore MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi—Shubhankar Mahapatra, Jaleswar MLA Ashwini Kumar Patra, Balasore (Sadar) MLA Manas Kumar Dutta, Bhograi MLA Gautam Buddha Das, Basta MLA Subashini Jena, District Council President Narayan Chandra Pradhan, representative of Remuna MLA Govind Chandra Das—Kartik Chandra Giri, and representative of Soro MLA Madhab Dandha—Ashwini Kumar Mahapatra. Together, they discussed and analyzed the preparedness status of various regions of the district.
Additional District Magistrates Hemanta Kumar Singh (Revenue) and Sudhakar Nayak (General), along with Sub-Collectors Prathamesh Aravind Rajeshirke (Sadar) and Subhashree Rath (Nilgiri), participated actively. Senior officials from civic bodies, line departments, voluntary organizations, ODRAF, Civil Defence, Fire Services, and disaster management units were also present.
Department heads from Roads & Buildings, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Supply, Irrigation, Electricity, Block and Tehsil Offices, Essential Services, and ODRAF shared updates on their preparedness. Discussions were steered thematically by ADM Hemanta Kumar Singh.
Key focus areas included flood rescue operations, pre-arrangement of shelters and cooked food, stockpiling of medicines, repair of embankments, provision of purified water through pipes and tubewell sanitation, supply of essential medical kits including halogen tablets, ORS, bleaching powder, and animal vaccination.
MLA Subashini Jena stressed the need for timely flood mitigation measures. MLA Manas Kumar Dutta highlighted the role of faulty drainage systems in flooding and emphasized prompt repair and cleaning of drains.
The Collector instructed all concerned departments to remain ready with equipment and resources, emphasizing adequate stockpiling of essential items such as flattened rice and ensuring its quality. He also directed early coordination with key traders for effective distribution.
Additional instructions included ensuring availability of sanitary napkins, polythene sheets, safe drinking water, and power generators at all block levels. Rapid convening of block-level preparedness meetings was also mandated.
A 24x7 emergency control room is operational in Balasore Sadar subdivision, and all relevant departments, including Health, Irrigation, and Water Supply, have been directed to activate their round-the-clock control rooms promptly.
