Squabbling halts IOTWS implementation

Towers at Hikkaduwa and Kalmunai instead of IOTWS
Providing disaster awareness campaign in 324 GN divisions

By N.Dilshath Banu

As a result of the delays in getting an unanimous decision among the Indian Ocean countries on who will be in charge for dissemination, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) is yet to be implemented says a well-known geologist Prof. Kapila Dahanayake.

“The Indian Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) will have components like setting up of seismological devices, information dissemination and buoys connected to a satellite. Some Indian Ocean countries are technologically, financially and in other ways superior to some of the other countries in the region. “This has given rise to a debate among these countries,” said Prof. Dahanayake.

He added like in the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre where the main centres are in Hawaii and Japan, the IOTWS should have its main offices in preferred countries and could have sub offices in most of the other countries. The Director General of the Metereological Department, Dr. G.H.P. Dharmaratne said he thought that as the IOTWS was not in place, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre and the Japan Meteorological Department would issue warnings if there was a tsunami warning in the region.

He said that if a timely warning was issued by the two main bodies, “we will be able to evacuate people from the risk area”. He warned however that sometimes though the warning was given, the tsunami may not occur,”. According to Dr. Dharmaratne the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre and the Japan Meteorological Department will issue the tsunami warnings based on the magnitude of the earthquake.

He said that if a warning of an earthquake magnitude of 7.8 and beyond was received, they would issue an ocean-wide tsunami warning, as an earthquake of such a magnitude of could result in a tsunami. He emphasised however, that sometimes despite the earthquake measuring over 7.8, a tsunami did not occur. “A tsunami occurs only if the earthquake happens vertically,” Dr. Dharmaratne said.

Dr. Dharmaratne said it would not be a problem even if there were no tsunami after such a warning was issued. It will help people to be prepared he said. An IOTWS on the other hand he said would avoid such mistakes and help to accurately predict whether a particular sea earthquake will generate tsunami or not.

Free Tsunami Alarm System
Free Tsunami Alarm System for mobile phones has been designed for the second anniversary of the tsunami catastrophe.
The Tsunami Alarm System has been developed by two German Professors as an early warning against flood disasters to be received by mobile phones and sms messages. The e-Com Association Pvt.Ltd, the distributor of the Tsunami Alarm System in Sri-Lanka, Maldives and South India provides the system at no charge for a month. The subscriber can be activated on the internet on www.tsunami-alart-system.com/en

Disaster Management Centre prepared... or not?
The Director General of the Disaster Management Centre Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi said his office had set up Warning Towers in the coastal areas with a speaker system which could be heard by people within a radius of 4 kms.
“Currently, we have set up towers at Hikkaduwa and Kalmunai”. He said they also planned to build one in Jaffna, but could not commence construction as a result of the adverse security situation.

“As a result” he said, “as soon as we hear of a tsunami or any major disaster, we would make an announcement through the tower and direct the people to alternative land routes”. The Director of National Disaster management Centre Nimal Hettiarachchi said they have identified places of high elevation in all the coastal areas and in a case of a disaster they would collaborate with relevant authorities to evacuate the population.

“We are continuously engaging in providing disaster awareness campaign in all districts as well as in all 324 GN divisions to create resilience among people at a grass root-level in order to be ready for evacuation and release of emergency funds in the event of a tsunami disaster.