Solar powered weather stations: State inks MoU with ISRO, NRSC

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Space Research Organization and National Remote Sensing Centre to set up 220 solar power-driven automated weather stations (AWS) in different parts of the state.

These weather stations would to study and record data of a variety of climate parameters like rainfall, temperature, wind direction, wind speed and air pressure.

Making an announcement to this effect here on Thursday, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that the Orissa State Disaster Management Authority has already signed the MoU with these two centres.

Addressing a disaster mitigation preparedness function organised by OSDMA to pay tributes to the 1999 Super Cyclone victims, Patnaik said that these stations would certainly improve the state’s preparedness for facing the challenges arising out of any natural calamities.

Since the state cannot actually prevent the arrival of natural disasters, it can certainly improve its preparedness to face them, he said, adding that the state was better prepared to face any eventuality like the Super Cyclone of 1999.

The chief minister also launched a HAM Radio Communication network.

It has been connected with 21 HAM stations in different parts of the state.
OSDMA has constructed 203 multi-purpose cyclone shelters and 22 more cyclone shelters and 50 flood shelters in cyclone and flood prone areas of our state are under construction, he said.

Stating that five units of Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), trained in search and rescue techniques and equipped with modern machinery, are ready to move to any vulnerable area at any point of time, Patnaik said that five more ODRAF units are being set up at Bhubaneswar, Paradip, Baripada, Rourkela and Balangir in the current year.

The state government has provided land and building to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for setting up Doppler Radars at Paradeep, Gopalpur, Balasore and Sambalpur.

Among others, revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patra, chief secretary Tarunkanti Mishra, revenue and disaster management secretary RK Sharma, Special Relief Commissioner and MD OSDMA and NK Sundaray were present on the occasion.

The chief minister later felicitated the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for its efforts towards the relief work in the 2008 floods in the state.

Head, Odisha State office of CII Suparna Nanda received a memento from the chief minister.