More than 75 per cent of India’s coastline is susceptible to extreme weather events like cyclones and tsunamis, the most vulnerable being eastern coastal states like Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Ever since the 1999 Super Cyclone followed by Cyclone Fani in 2019, Odisha has come a long way and is now a leader in cyclone preparedness and management in the country. Within the power sector too, numerous innovative strategies to manage the impact of natural hazards and enhance disaster resilience have been developed and implemented based on the state’s experience.
According to the Observer Research Foundation, back in 2019, India was projected to be at ‘very high’ risk levels in terms of intensity of cyclones. While the upgrade of disaster preparedness mechanisms in many of India’s coastal states has led to a significant reduction in the mortality rate, the number of people affected and the impacts on physical assets have remained unchanged. The greatest impact of extreme weather events is increasingly being felt in terms of the loss and damage to the critical infrastructure in India’s coastal regions.
To tackle this, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Government of Odisha released a series of recommendations to ensure post-disaster resilience of the power sector in coastal areas. The report, titled ‘Disaster Resilient Power Systems for Odisha’, outlines a broad range of disaster risks to aid governments and policymakers in taking necessary steps towards investments, risk-based governance, and capacity-building.
The study has revealed some alarming vulnerabilities in the state's power grid. Over 30 per cent of substations are situated precariously close to the coast, within just 20 kilometres. Furthermore, a staggering 75 per cent of distribution lines are ageing infrastructure, having been commissioned more than 30 years ago. These factors combine to create a significant risk of outages during extreme weather events, such as cyclones, which are a frequent threat to Odisha's coastal regions.
To address these vulnerabilities, state bodies are advised to update wind zonation maps and install anemometers for better cyclone preparedness, fostering a framework where stakeholders can work together on policy making, and partnering with insurers to develop innovative disaster risk mitigation schemes. And to make "resilience" a core principle across policies, funding, training, and non-structural construction measures are just a few of the recommendations mentioned in the report.
Amit Prothi, Director General, CDRI, said, “The resilience of the power sector to extreme weather events is pivotal in safeguarding lives and livelihoods, particularly those in vulnerable regions. Recommendations from our study on climate and disaster resilient power systems can be applied across coastal regions to enable disaster resilient power infrastructure.”
Sharing his experience in combating the cyclones and challenges in restoration, Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha said, “I urge officials to make infrastructure resilient. This initiative by CDRI will help other coastal states in India and many countries to come up with disaster-resilient power infrastructure.”
This collaborative effort by CDRI and the Government of Odisha will allow coastal regions to leverage this blueprint to boost their combined power grid resilience. This collaboration will ensure reliable power during disasters, promote sustainable development, and foster cross-border cooperation. The report's roadmap will empower them to build power grids that can weather the storms of climate change. By following these guidelines, vulnerable regions can take a giant leap towards sustainable development and power resilience.
