Beyond Tsunami
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Lina KrishnanBeyond Tsunami
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Lina KrishnanBeyond Tsunami | Analysis | Down To Earth magazine 13/04/09 4:44 PM
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Beyond Tsunami
Time to focus on preventing the next disaster
At 6.29 am, on the morning of December 26, 2004 an undersea earthquake
erupts in Sumatra, triggering off tidal waves called tsunami. A minute later, the
India Meteorological Department (IMD) gets the news. In 15 minutes, IMD tracks
the tsunami to the Indonesian coastline. But they make no attempt to issue
warnings to people on the Indian coast for, by rule, the tsunami has occurred
beyond Indian waters. At 7.50 am, the tsunami hits Car Nicobar. The island is
almost wiped out. Then the tidal waves head for the southern coast of India. At
Jan 31, 2005
8.50 am, Tamil Nadu is hit.
THIS ISSUE
Letters It is only at 8.31 am that IMD informs the Crisis Management Group (CMG). For
Editor's Page two hours, information crawls. In these crucial hours, fishermen out on their
boats, fishing communities in their villages, morning walkers on Chennai’s Marina
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beach, tourists and pilgrims, all go under as wave after giant wave hits them and
Analysis flings them into the sea. In a single morning, over 14, 000 people die, many go
Interview missing and and a million lose their means to livelihood. Warned in time, they
could have lived.
Debate
Factsheet The tribal communities of the Andaman islands, with no access to modern
Opinion warning systems, did better. They saw the disturbed marine life, listened to the
cries of the sea birds and interpreted that some great danger was coming. A
News Briefs
natural methodolgy, perfected over centuries of kinship with the elements. So
Features they got off the beaches and retreated into the woods. And survived the
Media & Review tsunami, intact.
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The severe impact of the tsunami was worsened by the state of the coastal
environment. Over the years, the natural protectors along the coast, like sand
dunes and mangrove forests, have been consistently disturbed and in some
places, even destroyed. Regulations have been flouted everywhere; habitation
allowed even in the first 200 metres, from hotels with a sea view to an air force
base almost on the water to the many settlements, homes to hundreds who
drowned.
Following the unparalled tragedy that has killed over 150,000 across the world,
particularly in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, tsunami is the new word on the world’s
mind. But something worse could happen. What is the state of our disaster
preparedness? At one end is the scientific establishment, at the other, the
administration on the ground. How prepared are they and how can we ensure
that they act on time and do the needful? Are our systems up to it? Do we need
to be part of a global combat network? With 22 states and union territories on
the official list of disaster-prone areas, who’s next? India cannot afford to take
any more chances. We must be battle ready now.
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