Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre provides services to 25 Indian Ocean nations: Centre

The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) provides tsunami services to 25 Indian Ocean nations as part of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO framework, said Union Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday. 

The ITEWC was established at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences which continues to provide timely tsunami advisories to stakeholders. 

INCOIS has introduced several innovative concepts in tsunami modelling, mapping of coastal inundation, Decision Support System, SOPs to meet the emerging challenges and provide accurate and timely tsunami early warnings. INCOIS has established a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) & Strong Motion Accelerometers in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for quick and reliable estimation of source parameters for near-source earthquakes.

In addition, INCOIS has carried out Multi-hazard Vulnerability Mapping (MHVM) along the mainland of Indian coastland MHVM atlas has been prepared. The ITEWC, INCOIS regularly conducts workshops, training sessions and tsunami mock exercises to create awareness and preparedness about the tsunamis.

In addition to workshops and training for disaster managers, ITEWC is also coordinating with coastal States/UTs to implement Tsunami Ready Programme, a concept introduced by UNESCO, at the community level. Odisha has implemented the programme in two villages (Venkatraipur and Noliasahi) and based on the national board recommendation, IOC (UNESCO) recognized these villages as Tsunami ready communities.

"We have better tsunami prediction models at ITEWC and INCOIS is continuously working towards improving its accuracy," said Vardhan in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

The objectives of O-SMART (Ocean Services, Modelling, Applications, Resources and Technology) scheme of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) are:

(1) To generate and regularly update information on Marine Living Resources and their relationship with the physical environment in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),

(2) To periodically monitor levels of seawater pollutants for health assessment of coastal waters of India, to develop shoreline change maps for assessment of coastal erosion due to natural and anthropogenic activities,

(3) To develop a wide range of state-of-the-art ocean observation systems for the acquisition of real-time data from the seas around India,

(4) To generate and disseminate a suite of user-oriented ocean information, advisories, warnings, data and data products for the benefit of society,

(5) To develop high resolution models for ocean forecast and reanalysis system,

(6) To develop algorithms for validation of satellite data for coastal research and to monitor changes in the coastal research,

(7) Acquisition of 2 Coastal Research Vessels (CRVs) as replacement of 2 old CRVs for coastal pollution monitoring, testing of various underwater components and technology demonstration,

(8) To develop technologies to tap the marine bioresources,

(9) To develop technologies generating freshwater and energy from the ocean,

(10) To develop underwater vehicles and technologies,

(11) Establishment of Ballast water treatment facility,

(12) To support operation and maintenance of 5 Research vessels for ocean survey/monitoring/technology demonstration programmes,

(13) Establishment of state of the art seafront facility to cater to the testing and sea trial activities of ocean technology,

(14) To carry out exploration of Polymetallic Nodules (MPN) from a water depth of 5500 m in the site of 75000 sq.km allotted to India by United Nations in Central Indian Ocean Basin, to carry out investigations of gas hydrates,

(15) Exploration of polymetallic sulphides near Rodrigues Triple junction in 10000 sq. km of the area allotted to India in International waters by International Seabed Authority/UN and,

(16) Submission of India's claim over continental shelf extending beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone supported by scientific data, and Topographic survey of EEZ of India.