India Enhances Tsunami Alerts with New Island Centre

India is significantly upgrading its tsunami monitoring and warning system with the establishment of a new Regional Service Centre (RSC) in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. This initiative aims to create a next-generation system capable of detecting tsunamis triggered by both seismic and non-seismic events, such as landslides and volcanic activity, which account for a significant portion of global tsunamis.

The Rs 300-crore project includes the development of India's first tsunami coordination centre at Vijaynagar on Swaraj Dweep. This centre will not only bolster national preparedness but also extend services to partner nations in the Indian Ocean region, including Sri Lanka. A crucial part of the upgrade involves laying 270-km-long sub-sea cables along active tectonic zones to ensure more reliable data acquisition, overcoming limitations of current methods like surface buoys which are prone to theft or damage.

Experts highlight the vulnerability of India's west coast to non-seismic tsunamis due to its marine geology and underwater mud volcanoes. The Andaman and Nicobar islands themselves are also at risk from localized seismic and volcanic activity. Therefore, this strategic investment in the Andaman and Nicobar region is deemed vital for comprehensive tsunami threat mitigation across India.