People evacuated to a multipurpose cyclone shelter, Kendrapara district, when cyclone Dana hit Odisha, in 2024. File
| Photo Credit: Satyasundar Barik

After finding multipurpose cyclone shelters failing to meet expectations during recent cyclone Dana, Odisha Government has decided to overhaul management of the critical infrastructure that ensure safety of people during disaster.

Multipurpose Cyclone and Flood Shelters (MCS & MFS) were constructed by State Government in rural and urban areas for providing safe shelter during disasters. The need arose after Super Cyclone hit the coastal Odisha in 1999 resulting in loss of thousands of lives.

In order to streamline and improve the quality of management, upkeeping and maintenance of the shelter buildings and monitoring of under construction shelters, the Revenue and Disaster Management has resolved to hand over all shelters to Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW) and Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department in rural and urban areas respectively.

As per the technical specifications of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), the two departments would maintain MCS & MFS for keeping these building usable and also universally accessible for specially-abled persons.

A resolution passed in Revenue and Disaster Management Department says the school-cum- cyclone shelter buildings constructed by various agencies, other State Governments, and corporate bodies immediately after the Super Cyclone in 1999 shall also be repaired and maintained by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department in rural areas and the Housing and Urban Development Department in urban areas.

 Both departments will make necessary Budgetary provision in their respective departmental Budget for repair and maintenance of the MCS and MFS.

“Funds from State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) will also be provided for augmenting the Budgetary provisions of the departments wherever permissible and possible. PR&DW and H&UD Department shall provide required funds to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) respectively for taking electricity connection to the shelter buildings and bear energy charges of the MCS and MFS,” it maintains.

As per the resolution, the secretary of the Cyclone Shelter Management and Maintenance Committee (CSMMC) and Flood Shelter Management and Maintenance Committee (FSMMC) selected by the members of the committee will be responsible for coordinating and upkeep of the building, training of the task forces, maintenance of the emergency equipment provided to the shelter and use of the shelter during disaster.

School and Mass Education Department will earmark adequate required land for construction of new MCS&MFS inside the school premises or adjacent to it as per the vulnerability assessment done by OSDMA.

Cyclone shelters are crucial for evacuating people from areas prone to cyclones and floods. However, these structures often remain unused during non-disaster periods, leading to gradual decay. Last year, when cyclone Dana hit the State, these shelters could not be optimally used on several counts – non-functional toilets and unavailability power supply.

“The PR&DW and the H&UD Departments, with their extensive network of field-level officials, could easily manage these shelters,” says an disaster management expert. It has also been decided to construct 500 additional shelters to strengthen rescue and relief operations during disasters. Owing to such infrastructures, Odisha has managed to evacuate more than million people during cyclones in the past.