74 More Coastal Villages in Odisha Get UNESCO Recognition

Seventy-four more coastal villages in Odisha have been declared “Tsunami Ready” under the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme, taking the total number of recognised villages in the state to 100.

The recognition followed a field assessment by the National Tsunami Ready Board (NTRB) on September 26 and 27. The board verified preparedness measures in villages across Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts, while interacting with local communities and assessing their awareness and response mechanisms.

Being recognised as Tsunami Ready does not mean the villages are tsunami-proof or that a tsunami is expected. Instead, it indicates that communities have established measures to prepare for and respond to a tsunami emergency.

For residents, the programme focuses on improving awareness about tsunami warnings, identifying evacuation routes and safer locations, and ensuring that official alerts can reach communities quickly. Public awareness activities and emergency drills are also intended to familiarise residents with what to do during a warning and reduce confusion during an actual emergency.

The programme also strengthens coordination between government agencies, scientific institutions, disaster-management authorities and local communities. These arrangements are aimed at enabling faster evacuation and helping protect lives, livelihoods and property.

Odisha has identified 381 coastal villages and habitations as tsunami-prone and plans to prepare them under the programme in phases.

The state's Tsunami Ready journey began in 2019, when Venkatraipur (Boxipalli) in Ganjam district and Noliasahi in Jagatsinghpur became the first recognised villages. Another 24 villages received recognition in 2024.

The UNESCO-IOC programme is being implemented in 22 countries in the Indian Ocean Region, including India. Odisha became the first Indian state to prepare communities under the programme, while India was the first country in the region to implement it.