India helps early disaster warning system

The contribution to the Trust Fund is part of a series of steps taken by India to support regional early warning systems. India is a Regional Service Provider for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS), which became operational in 2011, and also an active member of the Escap/World Meteorological Organisation Panel on Tropical Cyclones.

Escap said in a statement that the Asia-Pacific region remains highly vulnerable to coastal hazards such as tsunamis, tropical storms and storm surges. The contribution from the India will boost its efforts to strengthen early warning systems through regional and South-South cooperation, to ensure that vulnerable communities receive the timely warning information that is required to save lives and livelihoods in disasters.

“The Trust Fund has a strong record in promoting innovative solutions based on a regional approach, and the contribution from the Government of India will give these efforts a major boost," said Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of Escap. 

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Ambassador of India to Thailand and Permanent Representative to Escap added, “The Indian Ocean Tsunami was devastating in its impact on coastal communities in several countries in the Asia-Pacific region.   Despite suffering large casualties, India was one of the first countries to extend assistance in Search and Rescue and rehabilitation of the victims of the Tsunami in countries in its neighbourhood.  Since then, India has made great strides to strengthen its multi-hazard early warning system and has extended this facility to cover the region. On the tenth anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the

Government of India has announced the contribution of $1 million to theTsunami Trust Fund of UNEscap to further strengthen the process of building resilience to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Created in 2005 following the devastation caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Trust Fund supports activities that build resilience through

strengthened early warning systems for coastal hazards. It has made important contributions to the establishment of effective regional mechanisms such as the IOTWS and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) as well as to the strengthening of warning systems at the national and local levels.

The Nation