Bhubaneswar: The 20th edition of Odisha Manaska by All Things Odisha, held on Sunday, brought together people from various walks of life to discuss and reflect upon the disaster preparedness of Odisha and climate action.
Shedding lights on the session titled “Odisha at the Climate Crossroads: Perspectives & Perceptions”, State Project Manager of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) Meghanad Behera and independent climate journalist Rakhi Ghosh shared their thoughts.
Behera highlighted the multi-pronged and holistic approach towards disaster preparedness in Odisha since the 1999 super cyclone and how has the state successfully managed several natural disasters after that. He also spoke about Odisha’s approach towards other forms of natural and man-made disasters such as drought, heatstroke, human-animal conflict, snakebites, industrial, chemical and radiation hazards. Ghosh shared insights from her field visits, deep field observations and plights of people during and after disasters which she had collected while reporting at the grassroots.
The participants also shared their perceptions about the disaster management in the state while the SPM tried to debunk the perceived myths and enlightened the gathering about various aspects. The state’s holistic approach towards disaster management and building resilience at granular levels such as from households was well appreciated by the participants. The discussion also brought to the fore the inclusiveness in disaster preparedness plans in the state.
The session was conducted by Sandip Bal and Sonali Priyadarsini. The gathering included heritage researcher Anil Dhir, activist Sarita Barpanda and people from development sectors and college students.
All Things Odisha, a Bhubaneswar-based thinktank, has been hosting ‘Odisha Manaska’ since August 2024 to enable discussions on matters related to individuals and their Identities in all its forms, and gather collective wisdom, where each individual shares their thoughts, ideas, views and lived experiences.