Naveen releases Fani damage report
Surjit Kumar Dhal, Bhubaneswar, August 6: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday appealed to all international agencies, national NGOs, the private sector and civil society to join hands in the restoration and reconstruction efforts following extremely severe cyclone Fani, with the affected communities and the State Government.
Releasing a detailed Damage and Loss Needs Assessment (DLNA) report across 15 sectors due to the cyclone, the Chief Minister said, “Odisha has set global benchmarks in handling disasters by leveraging technology, strengthening institutional capacities and building resilient measures that helped it face this calamity of national magnitude.”UN Resident Coordinator in India, Renata Lok-Dessallien, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, Development Commissioner Asit Kumar Tripathy, Agriculture Production Commissioner Gagan Kumar Dhal, Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi were among those present at the function held here.The DLNA assessment was undertaken by the State Government in collaboration with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations after the cyclone.Ten UN agencies –UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, WFP, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, UNEP, UNFPA, UNWOMEN- participated in the assessment.
This year, which is the 20th year since the super cyclone, the government will release a Roadmap for Disaster Risk Resilience that will guide the state to be prepared, recover, rehabilitate and reconstruct better than the pre-disaster levels.This report is a collaborative effort of the Government of Odisha, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and the World Bank to support the cyclone recovery process.The assessment spanned over a period of 20 days comprising a team of more than 100 multisectoral experts from above agencies along with officials from various departments, local NGOs and eminent experts.It covered 14 most affected districts prioritized by the state government.
The estimation of the damage and losses by the assessment team is based on the data made available by the various line departments that was validated by field visits in five most affected districts.It estimates the total damage and loss at Rs 24,176 crore (US$ 3.4 billion) and recovery needs are Rs 29,315 crore (US$4.1).The infrastructure sectors were the hardest hit and constitute about 42% of the total needs and the social sectors which include housing, constitute 36% of the total needs.UN Resident Coordinator in India Lok-Dessallien said that reducing economic losses due to disasters is critical for reducing the poverty and vulnerability of the people of Odisha. “A sustained recovery effort with strong focus on Resilient Housing, Resilient infrastructure and Resilient Livelihoods will provide an opportunity for building resilience, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, and improving the well-being of the people in the state,” she said.
