Tsunami warning system by September

 
Preparations for establishing a world-class national early tsunami warning system are apace, it will be ready for operation, as per plan, in September 2007, Union Science, and technology Minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday. Presenting a progress report on the occasion of the second anniversary of the December 26,2004 tsunami, he told a press conference here that work on strengthening the seismic network, deployment of bottom pressure recorded to monitor the propagation of sea waves and subsequent sea level changes and establishment of a network of tide gauges was proceeding on an even keel. So far, one bottom pressure recorder was deployed and by July-end, the remaining 11 would be in place. Likewise, 17 tide gauges out of the 50 planned had been installed along the coastline, including on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and work was on to strengthen a network of 17 seismic stations. High-resolution topography of the coastal belt and bathymetry of shallow water had been initiated. An end-to-end communication plan was worked out in collaboration with the Indian Space research Organization to ensure communication of real-time data from seismic stations, tide gauges and bottom pressure recorders to the warning center.
(The Hindu, 27/12/06)