Odisha: Two villages honoured by UNESCO for Tsunami preparedness, first in India

Two coastal villages of Odisha have been recognised as being 'Tsunami Ready' by UNESCO for their preparedness to confront the natural disaster, Additional Chief Secretary PK Jena said on Thursday, August 6.

With it, Odisha became the first coastal state in the country to have such villages and the country the first in the Indian Ocean region to achieve the honour from the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. 

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"Tsunami Ready"

The two villages are Venkatraipur (Boxipalli) village of Rangeilunda block in Ganjam district and Noliasahi village of Ersama block in Jagatsinghpur district.

In addition to this, a certificate of recognition will be bestowed on the village communities of Venkatraipur and Noliasahi in a virtual event scheduled to be held on August 7. According to the reports, Jena who works as the managing director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority will receive the certificate from UNESCO. International and national delegates will be present at the virtual event, as per reports. 

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As per reports, Jena said that UNESCO recognition is a great achievement for the state of Odisha and its tsunami preparedness. He added that Odisha will become a role model for tsunami readiness. He also said that with this award, the state is inspired to modify 326 villages and urban local bodies to be 'tsunami ready' within a period of one year. 

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