Unlike the pacific tsunami warning system which generates large number of false alarms, the system being developed by Indian scientists would be fool-proof, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Wednesday quoting renowned seismologist Harsh K Gupta.
"The Pacific warnings are given soon after earthquake occurs. Such a system can create problems for India because of huge coastal population. The occurrence of undersea earthquake is a necessary condition but not sufficient condition for generation of tsunami," Gupta told the 93rd Science Congress.
Gupta, who has earlier served as Secretary to Department of Ocean Development and Director of National Geophysical Research Institute said some of the 'key elements' of the Early Tsunami Warning System, including a 'couple of ocean bottom sensors' would be in place by March end this year.
Later, asked by reporters how Indian mechanism could prevent false alarms, the scientist said "we hope to gauge the vertical displacement of the water columns by installing ocean bottom pressure sensors. The project is being jointly implemented by the departments of space and ocean development.
There was a need for deployment of research vessels, tide gauges, data buoys, satellites and connectivity, Gupta said.
Data from this buoy network of sensors would be relayed to satellites which would then forward to the ground stations for immediate dissemination of warnings, Gupta said.
He said the proposed tsunami system for India should develop models for tsunamis and storm surges with all associated data inputs.
It should generate coastal inundation and vulnerability maps.
He said India already has a well connected seismic network and if there is a quake in the Andamans, we have seismic centres in places from Chennai to Rajkot to Shillong and these systems should be able to tell us if the quake would generate a tsunami or not.
Plans were on to put in place the country's first full-fledged, state-of-the-art Tsunami Early Warning System by September 2007.
At present, an interim centre is operational at Indian National Centre for Oceanic Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad and is capable of issuing an early warning to government agencies in coastal districts in the event of an undersea earthquake of 6.5 and above magnitude on Richter scale.
The experts are of the opinion that an alert system could have averted many deaths in the tsunami disaster that hit the region last year.
Most of the 29 Indian Ocean nations do not have early tsunami warning system while the Pacific Ocean region has already put in place a comprehensive system.
Source:BERNAMA.
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