Ganjam district administration has shifted 107 pregnant women to nearby hospitals and four others to Maa Gruha, a transit house, as Odisha prepares for Cyclone Arnab, officials said on Monday. The precautionary relocation is focused on women whose expected delivery dates fall within 15 days of the storm’s arrival.
The district has identified 1,262 pregnant women who may require relocation under the preparedness plan. The shifting operation began on Sunday afternoon with the assistance of Accredited Social Health Activists and anganwadi workers, according to S Kameswar Rao, Ganjam’s chief district medical and public health officer.
Rao said some women were initially reluctant to move to hospitals well before their expected delivery dates. Health and community workers then explained the need for relocation so that deliveries could take place safely if the cyclone affected transport, power supply or access to local health facilities.
Of the women shifted so far, 74 have delivered babies at different government hospitals, Rao said. According to reports received by the district health administration, the mothers and infants are in good condition.
The district administration has also directed hospitals and cyclone shelters to stock essential medicines. The order covers medical facilities that may receive patients during the storm as well as shelters that could accommodate residents displaced by strong winds, heavy rain or flooding.
Ganjam Collector Keerthi Vasan V has reviewed preparedness at different cyclone shelters and said the administration was ready to respond to the situation. The district has made arrangements to accommodate up to 1.5 lakh people in 110 cyclone shelters and 1,000 temporary shelters if evacuation becomes necessary.
The relocation of pregnant women is part of the district’s wider emergency planning. Moving those close to delivery before weather conditions deteriorate allows health officials to place them closer to hospitals and reduces the risk of last-mile access becoming difficult during the cyclone. The involvement of ASHA and anganwadi workers also links the district’s disaster response with its existing community health and nutrition network.
The administration’s plan is particularly dependent on timely identification of women nearing delivery, coordination between field workers and hospitals, and the availability of medicines and shelter facilities. Officials have not announced any further relocation figure beyond the 107 women shifted to hospitals and four moved to Maa Gruha by Monday noon.
The district administration said it had prepared to face the cyclone and urged residents not to panic. Officials will continue monitoring the situation, hospital readiness and the capacity of designated and temporary shelters as Cyclone Arnab approaches.
