The milestone under the UNESCO-IOC programme strengthens Odisha’s community-based disaster preparedness as the state works towards making all 381 tsunami-prone coastal villages ready.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a major milestone in tsunami preparedness, with 100 coastal villages now recognised as Tsunami Ready under the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.
The latest recognition of 75 additional villages in 2026 takes the total number of Tsunami Ready villages in the state to 100, marking significant progress towards the Odisha government’s goal of preparing all 381 tsunami-prone coastal villages and habitations across six coastal districts.
The initiative is being implemented by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) with a focus on scientific preparedness, community participation and strengthening the ability of coastal communities to respond effectively to tsunami hazards.
The National Tsunami Ready Board (NTRB) conducted field verification of coastal villages on September 26 and 27 before reviewing its findings at a meeting in Bhubaneswar on September 28. The meeting was chaired by Dr Balakrishnan Nair, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), and Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Managing Director, OSDMA.
During the field assessment, the Board visited villages in six coastal districts and interacted with residents to assess their awareness of tsunami hazards, preparedness measures and emergency response mechanisms.
The villages visited included Nidhipada and Gudupahi in Balasore; Muladihi, Bhatapada, Amarnagar and Nuagaon in Bhadrak; Sailendrasahi and Bhateni in Kendrapada; Motto and Singharpal in Puri; and New Kirtipur (1008), Laxmipur, Noliasahi and Ramtara in Jagatsinghpur.
The NTRB appreciated the active participation of local communities and their awareness of tsunami risks. It also commended OSDMA’s systematic preparedness measures and efforts to translate scientific early-warning systems and disaster-management protocols into community-level action.
The Board members subsequently interacted with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and shared their observations from the field verification.
Odisha’s journey under the UNESCO-IOC programme began in 2019, when Venkatraipur (Boxipalli) in Ganjam and Noliasahi in Jagatsinghpur became the first villages in the state to receive Tsunami Ready recognition. In 2024, another 24 villages were recognised.
According to an official statement, India became the first country in the Indian Ocean Region to implement the Tsunami Ready Programme, while Odisha became the first state to prepare communities under the programme.
The UNESCO-IOC initiative is a community performance-based programme that brings together government authorities, scientific institutions, community leaders and emergency management agencies to strengthen tsunami preparedness. It aims to build resilient communities capable of protecting lives, livelihoods and property through awareness, preparedness and timely response.
The NTRB meeting was attended by OSDMA Advisor Dr Kamal Lochan Mishra, Executive Director Susmita Behera, OSDMA officials and INCOIS scientists. Suci Dewi Anugrah, Chair of Working Group-3: Tsunami Ready Implementation, ICG/IOTWMS-UNESCO-IOC, joined virtually.
