On Wednesday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi opened a “Make in India” Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) in Sambalpur with the goal of improving disaster preparedness and weather forecasting throughout western Odisha. He also started development projects valued about Rs 960 crore. The radar will operate continuously and give weather information within a 250-kilometer radius, with forecasting of weather movements up to 450 kilometers, officials said, adding that it is the third such facility in Odisha after Paradip and Gopalpur.
In his speech during a ceremony held at Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur, Majhi stated that the radar will aid 13 districts, including Sambalpur, Baragada, Jharsuguda, Sundaragada, Debagada, Subarnapur, Balangir, Boudh, Nuapada, Anugola, Kalahandi, Kendujhar, and Dhenkanal, in addition to portions of the nearby states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. With a 150-meter resolution, the system will estimate rainfall every 10 minutes and provide real-time alerts about severe rain, hail, lightning, and thunderstorms. Additionally, it will support reinforcing inflow management at the Hirakud reservoir and make it possible to take proactive steps in areas like power, industry, transportation, and grid operations.
The chief minister announced that Doppler radars would be placed in Baleshwar, Bhubaneswar, and Puri, and that the state government was working on a proactive, technology-driven disaster management system. The chief minister also laid foundation stones for 35 new projects with an estimated cost of Rs 825. 83 crore and opened 15 completed projects with a total cost of Rs 133. 47 crore. The initiatives encompass water resources, including a large lift irrigation project costing Rs 220. 56 crore, as well as sports, health, roads, buildings, and rural development.
He stated that during the current year up to September, development projects totaling over Rs 1,910 crore had been started in Sambalpur. The Rs 1,521 crore four-lane bypass, Rs 1,700 crore VIMSAR expansion, Rs 100 crore Aqua Park, and Rs 100 crore Samalei Phase-II are among the projects currently in progress. He stated that the government has also approved Rs 238. 14 crore for the Ainthapali Bus Terminal and its ten-year maintenance. Additionally, a Rs 450-crore ‘Drink from Tap’ project under AMRUT 2. 0 is expected to provide 100 million liters of treated water daily to 41 wards of Sambalpur.