Country to have 3D system to tackle cyclone, tsunami

The country will soon have a system with the coastlines mapped in 3D and details of people living in vulnerable districts to stay better prepared to face natural disasters like the 2004 Asian tsunami, which claimed hundreds and thousands of lives in many countries.

The pilot project is currently developed by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) with the 3D mapping of the entire Tamil Nadu coastal area and details of individuals living in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts that bore the brunt of the tsunami.  Speaking at a workshop organised by Indian Tsunami Early
Warning Centre (ITEWC) here to mark ten years of the Asian tsunami, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan said the 3D protocol will help better preparedness.

“I must appreciate the INCOIS for accurate predictions during the last seven years of its existence, even as a country such as Japan has withdrawn its predictions as false alarms several times,” he said lauding the work of the scientists.

Vardhan urged scientists to devise ways of passing on the predictions and forecasts to the end users in the coast in the shortest possible time with the help of information technology.

“We must educate the fishermen and the people living on the coastline to use the information provided to them,” he said.

“I would urge the centre to make the blue book available in every library of the country,” Chowdary said.

He suggested that a group of volunteers must be trained to prepare ahead of a disaster as well as to take part in rescue missions later.

A joint effort of 14 institutions, INCOIS utilises data from GNSS networks, real-time inundation modelling and location-based warning dissemination systems to improve accuracy and timeliness of tsunami warning.

TN fisherfolk pay tribute to victims

The fishing community along the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, that was ravaged by tsunami in 2004, paid floral tributes to the victims, who were washed away by the giant waves 10 years ago, DHNS reports from Chennai.

On the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, relatives and friends of those who lost their lives held processions and offered special prayers in tsunami-affected Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Kaniyakumari.