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Experts believe the infrastructure sector should focus on building and protecting cyclone-resilient infrastructure along India’s coastline as the frequency and intensity of cyclones is expected to increase over the coming decades.
“The early warning system has significantly helped in saving precious lives. Since 2013, deaths associated with cyclones have been brought down to less than 100 in India. However, the goal is now to assess property losses in accordance with the socioeconomic conditions of people,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general, India Meteorological Department (IMD).
He was speaking at a webinar on ‘Cyclones and Storm Surges’, organised by the National Institute of Disaster Management on Tuesday.
Mohapatra said that the IMD was working with ISRO and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to develop a space-based cyclone communication system especially for fishermen who venture into the deep sea.
S N Pradhan, director-general, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said, “Certain structural damage repeatedly occurs after cyclones and our focus must now shift to protecting infrastructure. Besides, the community response to disasters like cyclones needs to be cultivated through greater awareness at local levels. The community response to Cyclone Fani in Odisha was different from the one to Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal.”
Cyclone Fani had hit Puri in Odisha in May 2019 whereas Super Cyclone Amphan made landfall over the Sundarbans in West Bengal in May this year. In India, rescue operations associated with floods and cyclones are the most common disasters for which the NDRF is deployed, added Pradhan.
GVV Sarma, member secretary, NDMA, said that some Indian states need to get their Disaster Response Force teams active and ready for timely responses.
