<p>The authorities are banking on mobile apps, now in the making, to send out alerts ahead of extreme natural events.<br /><br />DH reported on Sunday how the city had no system in place to alert citizens when a natural disaster is imminent. The downpour in Bengaluru on Tuesday made it the wettest day in 127 years. It was also the highest for August since 1890.<br /><br />The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are convinced apps can help them reach citizens directly.<br /><br />“We have tied up with engineering students from M S Ramaiah College to develop an app to give real-time alerts,” said G S Srinivas Reddy, director, KSNDMC.<br /><br />Work began three months ago. It will take three more months to complete the development. Testing will call for more time, he told DH.<br /><br />Under the present system, alerts go to decision makers and not to people living in danger zones.<br /><br />The arrangement is bureaucratic, Reddy admitted, adding that people could register on the KSNDMC website and get real-time alerts for specific locations.<br /><br />Only 277 people have signed up for the alerts now, and of them, 250 are BBMP officials.<br /><br />The IMD head office in New Delhi is also working on creating a mobile app to send forecasts to citizens and farmers.<br /><br />“Alerts were being sent only to the district office, but after what we saw on Monday, we are sending them to the BBMP commissioner as well,” said Sunder M Methri, director in charge of IMD, Bengaluru.<br /><br />DH News Service<br /><br /> </p>
<p>The authorities are banking on mobile apps, now in the making, to send out alerts ahead of extreme natural events.<br /><br />DH reported on Sunday how the city had no system in place to alert citizens when a natural disaster is imminent. The downpour in Bengaluru on Tuesday made it the wettest day in 127 years. It was also the highest for August since 1890.<br /><br />The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are convinced apps can help them reach citizens directly.<br /><br />“We have tied up with engineering students from M S Ramaiah College to develop an app to give real-time alerts,” said G S Srinivas Reddy, director, KSNDMC.<br /><br />Work began three months ago. It will take three more months to complete the development. Testing will call for more time, he told DH.<br /><br />Under the present system, alerts go to decision makers and not to people living in danger zones.<br /><br />The arrangement is bureaucratic, Reddy admitted, adding that people could register on the KSNDMC website and get real-time alerts for specific locations.<br /><br />Only 277 people have signed up for the alerts now, and of them, 250 are BBMP officials.<br /><br />The IMD head office in New Delhi is also working on creating a mobile app to send forecasts to citizens and farmers.<br /><br />“Alerts were being sent only to the district office, but after what we saw on Monday, we are sending them to the BBMP commissioner as well,” said Sunder M Methri, director in charge of IMD, Bengaluru.<br /><br />DH News Service<br /><br /> </p>