India: Cyclone, tsunami alert siren towers at 122 places by November 15
By Hemanta Pradhan
BHUBANESWAR: The state government will complete the process of commissioning alert siren systems at 122 locations under the Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) project by November 15.
"The towers have been installed to give prior warning to people before any cyclone or tsunami," said P K Mohapatra, managing director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority.
He said Odisha will be the first state in the country to have such early-warning system for disasters. Alert siren towers are installed at the 122 places (within 1.5 km off the coast) of 29 blocks in six coastal districts. People staying within the radius of 2.5 km can hear the siren and get prepared, he added.
"Before cyclone hits the coast, we can alert people through sirens. The siren activation system is located at the office of the special relief commissioner (SRC) here. It is connected with the district and block centres and siren towers. After November 15, If we activate the system at the SRC office, the alert towers will start functioning automatically and people can hear the siren," said the officer.
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