Bhubaneswar, Feb 11 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday stressed improving early warning dissemination system and capacity building for the conservation of cultural heritage sites.

Addressing the 2nd BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Disaster Management Exercise here, the Chief Minister said the heritage sites must be preserved for the future generations at any cost.

The meet stressed restoration of heritage sites damaged in natural disasters.

Patnaik said it is important to undertake adequate documentation, proper identification and grading of heritage sites.

BIMSTEC countries are a great repository of ancient heritage with numerous cultural heritage sites susceptible to various kinds of natural disasters, he added.

The Chief Minister said that over the years, BIMSTEC has expanded and diversified the areas of cooperation, especially in the domain of disaster management.

Informing that Odisha is prone to multiple natural disasters, he said more than 100 cyclones have affected the state since 1891.

Patnaik said the Super Cyclone of 1999 was a watershed moment that changed the course of disaster management.

"Today, Odisha is well ahead of others in preparedness. Odisha was the first state that set up its own dedicated disaster response force in India. We invested in preparedness, forecasting and resource management with an approach of zero-casualty," said the Chief Minister.