Malkangiri, 7th Nov 2025: In Malkangiri district, under Chitrakonda Block, Buradiput village of Doraguda Panchayat, student Lalita Khul, studying at Government High School, RSC-06, has been inspired by the devastating scenes caused by annual cyclones in Chitrakonda and has developed an innovative science project titled “Safety Boat.”
She was guided and supported in this project by her teacher, Debabrata Dash, and encouraged by Headmaster Dambaru Dhar. Her success has brought immense pride and joy to her parents — mother Damamati Khul and father Parsu Khul — as well as to the entire village community.
The project was first showcased at the block-level science exhibition, where it received widespread appreciation. Later, it was selected for the district-level and subsequently the state-level exhibition. From there, it was chosen at the Eastern India Zonal (Kolkata East Region) level, and now it will represent the region at the National-Level Science Exhibition to be held on November 18 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Odisha, being a land frequently affected by floods and cyclones, often witnesses tragic incidents of boat capsizing. Inspired by these real-life challenges, Lalita Khul, a Class IX student of Government High School, RSC-06, Chitrakonda Block, designed this “Safety Boat” project to prevent such accidents.
In a conventional boat, the inner portion is hollow and filled with air. During emergencies, when people move to one side, the boat tilts and overturns. To prevent this, Lalita introduced a “balance tube” mechanism based on Pascal’s Law, which states that pressure decreases when surface area increases. By increasing the area, the pressure is distributed evenly across the boat, preventing it from overturning.
Additionally, the boat has been equipped with a warning siren that activates when the passenger load exceeds safety limits, alerting people of potential danger. If, despite the warning, more people board the boat and it begins to sink, the air-filled bags at the bottom will push air through the tube to the upper portion, providing extra buoyancy and preventing the boat from completely submerging.
Lalita proudly calls her creation “Titanic 2.0 – Made in Odisha”, saying that while the original Titanic sank, her version will serve as a lifesaver for people at risk of drowning.
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