India: Flood mapping in Odisha to reduce risk factors
The coastal district of Kendrapara witnessed severe floods 12 times from 1994 to 2013, reports the New Indian express. Loss of life and property was enormous. To avert such huge losses like in 2011 when 473 villages under nine blocks were badly hit, the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) released a Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM) for Kendrapara.
The survey teams referred to 15 years of flood history of Kendrapara district for the mapping which has been prepared under Government of India-UNDP project on Enhancing Institutional and Community Resilience to Disaster and Climate Change-2013-17. The FIM will help the vulnerable communities and district administration understand local flood risks and make cost-effective mitigation decisions, said Bholanath Mishra, environment specialist of OSDMA, on Saturday.