246 additional multi-purpose shelters and 260 km of evacuation roads to be constructed
NEW DELHI, August 11, 2015 – The Government of India, the Government of Odisha, the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank Board today signed an agreement for US$ 104 million additional credit for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-1 (NCRMP 1) to help build disaster resilient infrastructure in the vulnerable coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, following a severe cyclone that hit these states in 2013.
On October 12, 2013, Cyclone Phailin hit the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. It was the strongest cyclone to hit the Indian coast in the past 14 years. The state governments of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh managed to evacuate over a million people. As a result of this massive operation, loss of human lives was limited to 44. The Super Cyclone of 1999, had killed more than 10,000, destroyed 275,000 homes and left 1.67 million homeless in Odisha.
Despite the limited loss of life, the impact on the lives of coastal residents was massive. In Ganjam district of Odisha alone, about 90,000 homes along the coastal areas were partially or fully damaged. Crops in over one million hectares of agricultural land were reportedly destroyed. Power and communication lines have also been severely affected.
“This additional financing for the Project will further enhance the disaster preparedness work of the government and build cyclone resistant infrastructure in the vulnerable coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh,” said Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
The financing and project agreements for the additional financing of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-1 (NCRMP 1) was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; G.V.V. Sarma, Principal Secretary (Disaster Management), and Managing Director, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), Government of Odisha, on behalf of the Government of Odisha; J. C. Sharma, Principal Secretary ( Disaster Management), Department of Revenue, Government of Andhra Pradesh, on behalf of the Government of Andhra Pradesh; and John Blomquist, Program Leader and Acting Country Director in India, on behalf of the World Bank.
“When Cyclone Phailin hit the coast of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh over a million people were evacuated with minimum loss of human lives. We are happy that collectively we were able to achieve a greater degree of preparedness. However, there is still work to be done and we need to continue to help reduce vulnerability of coastal communities,” said John Blomquist, Program Leader and Acting Country Director in India.
Currently, under the US$ 255 million NCRMP1 Project, 286 cyclone shelters are being constructed (150 in Odisha and 136 in Andhra Pradesh), more than 1,000 km of evacuation roads and 23 bridges are being built and around 140 km of existing coastal/saline embankments are being strengthened. It will scale up the construction of multi-purpose shelters from 286 to 532 and increase the evacuation roads from 1,050 km to 1,310 km.
“The additional financing will further enhance the work of both the states in mitigating cyclone-related risks. It will improve access to emergency shelters and evacuation against wind storms, flooding and storm surge in high-risk areas currently not fully covered by the original project,” said Saurabh Suresh Dani, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and the Task Team Leader for the Project.
The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) – the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm – with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5-year grace period.
