Odisha to set up AWS, ARG for better drought management

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Monday decided to set up around 6,500 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) under the Odisha State Disaster Management Autrhority (OSDMA) for better drought management.

Besides the OSDMA, departments of Water Resource, Agriculture, the Central Relief Commissioner and IMD would also be involved in the setting up of the AWSs and ARGs.

This was decided at a meeting of the state drought monitoring cell (SDMC), chaired by chief secretary A P Padhi.

Padhi directed the OSDMA to set up farmers? advisory cell in the Agriculture department to advise the farmers about appropriate measures to be taken, as per the weather conditions.

The advisory cell will issue agricultural advice on the basis of the weather readings and soil moisture condition, to be availed from the AWSs and ARGs.

The chief secretary said, the AWS and ARGs would be set up in secure locations.

It was decided to locate the AWSs and ARGs in the premises of gram panchayat offices and OPTCL power stations. These stations would have GIS coordinates, OSDMA chief P K Mohapatra said.

Under the new system, the SDMC will study the data received from these automatic stations. Other parameters like rainfall deviation, dry spell situation, vegetation indices, and crop situation, soil moisture and hydrological indices will be integrated and analyzed scientifically on regular basis for advance assessment of any drought-like situation, Mohapatra said.

Padhi directed seven departments of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Water Resources, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Fisheries and Animal Resource Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water and the IMD to nominate nodal officers to coordinate with the SDMC and furnish the required data on weekly basis.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has signed a MOU with Karnataka Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre for mutual exchange of knowledge, technical knowhow and subject expertise for more effective monitoring of drought units.