Summary:
The December 26, 2004 earthquake that originated 200 km off the coast of Sumatra created unprecedented damage and loss of lives in many South Asian countries including India. The extensive damage to the coastal regions in these countries- Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Somalia among them- was due to the tsunami that followed this earthquake. Subsequent to this earthquake, the Department of Science and Technology has been reactivating the nation’s capabilities in dealing with such disasters in future. DST, jointly with the Department of Ocean Development and INSA organized a Brain Storming Session on January 21-22, 2005 at INSA. The idea of the Brain Storming Session was to bring together experts from within the country and abroad and evaluate existing technologies and expertise in India and abroad and eventually work towards setting up a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. The brain storming session was attended by nearly 200 participants from India and experts from abroad namely USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, Russia as well as representatives of the UN and visual and print media. The deliberations took place in three technical sessions and a panel discussion (F/A). An overview and discussion of events associated with the tsunami, efforts to monitor the effects of the tsunami, public awareness/training and international cooperative endeavours and discussion on the tectonic setting of the region provided the necessary background for the discussions on the deployment of a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. The experience of the tsunami warning system (including the issue of false warnings) provided an overview of the problems, prospects as well as limitations of such warning systems. Various issues related to the tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean were discussed by Dr. Tad Murthy, Prof . Rainer Kind and Dr. Costa Synolakis, drawing from their own experiences with the tsunami warning system in the Pacific. All of these speakers reiterated the need for collaboration with other nations. One of the key issues is the large distance to the tsunamigenic sources, some of which are beyond the political boundaries of India. Unless bouys and gauges are deployed closer to the source, there may be very little time lag between sensing a tsunami wave and issuing a warning. The same applied also to sharing earthquake data with nearby countries, that will help computing near-real time source parameters of earthquakes originating from some of the potential tsunamigenic sources. Dr. H.K.Gupta, Secretary, Department of Ocean Development, presented an action plan which included various components such as expansion and connectivity of seismic network, modeling of tsunami generation, propagation and inundation. His plan also included deployment of 8 DART systems and also linking up some of the seismic observatories to obtain near-real time data on source parameters. The locations of these DART systems need to be decided after more considerations. The panel discussions attended by Shri.Kapil Sibal, Hon’ble Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, DST; Dr. Harsh K. Gupta, Secretary, Department of Ocean Development and Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, President, INSA, Dr. Satish R. Shetye, Director, National Institute of Oceanography and Dr. P. Nag, Surveyor General of India, focused on the future course of action. The action plan proposed by Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology involves strengthening of the earthquake monitoring network and upgradation of the communication network for near-real time data transfer, strengthening of computing facilities, put in place ocean based tsunami systems and integrate tsunami warning with cyclone warning system etc. . Although India would be setting up tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean, it may collaborate with regional partners and would require the support from foreign experts. One of the important recommendations was the need to increase the trained manpower resource in earth sciences. Shri Kapil Sibal endorsed these views and reiterated his government’s commitment to do whatever it takes, to put this action plan to practice. Recommendations: 1. Strengthen the National Earthquake Monitoring network by adding more Digital Broadband Seismographs, particularly, in regions identified as potential epicenters. 2. Upgrade the communication networks for near real-time data transfer and analysis. 3. Upgrade computing facilities and software for quick estimation of the locations and magnitude of the earthquakes. 4. Forge alliances with other regional and global seismic networks 5. Put in place a GPS network for tectonic movement studies 6. Use advances in space technology to monitor changes in the ocean as well as other possible precursory changes such as radon, helium emissions, groundwater levels, electromagnetic radiations, etc. prior to earthquakes/tsunamis. 7. Put in place-ocean based tsunami detection systems including bottom pressure recorders, tide gauges and radar-based coastal monitoring stations etc. in the region, taking into account the experience in other parts of the world. While the proposed tsunami detection and warning system will be specific for India, it may also cater the requirements of Indian Ocean rim countries under IO-GOOS. 8. Integrate tsunami warning with cyclone and surges warning and establish a 24x7 warning dissemination system/centre in conjunction with National Disaster Management Authority. 9. Follow uniform standards (as elsewhere in the world) so that exchange of data is easier. 10. Prepare tsunami inundation and vulnerability maps for different hazard scenarios 11. Improve modeling capabilities; develop models for tsunami and storm surges with all associated data inputs. 12. Strengthen earth science education in the country, create more opportunities in earth sciences. 13. Strengthen public education/awareness campaign on natural disasters including earthquake, tsunami.