The Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami(Boxing day tsunami), occurred on 26 December, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
One of the deadliest natural calamities.
Died - 230000
Cause – Sumatra – Andaman Earthquake
The 3rd most powerful earthquake in recorded history.
Quake measured – 9.1-9.3 on Richter scale.
The earthquake was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burmese Plate and the Indian Plate.
Energy released = 23000 Hiroshima type atomic bombs
The quake has displaced huge amount of ocean water that flooded coastlines along the Indian ocean.

1. The Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004 Presented by- Pranjal Saheb School of Water Resources, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

2. Table of Content: Introduction Economic and Environmental Impact Reasons for huge loss Efforts by Government of India Response and Recovery Indian Tsunami Early Warning System Education and warnings Policies in India Conclusion

3. Introduction: The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami(Boxing day tsunami), occurred on 26 December, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. One of the deadliest natural calamities. Died - 230000 Cause – Sumatra – Andaman Earthquake The 3 rd most powerful earthquake in recorded history. Quake measured – 9.1-9.3 on Richter scale. The earthquake was caused by a rupture along the fault between the  Burmese Plate  and the  Indian Plate . Energy released = 23000 Hiroshima type atomic bombs The quake has displaced huge amount of ocean water that flooded coastlines along the Indian ocean.

4. Total countries affected - 18 Countries suffering major casualties and deaths Indonesia Sri Lanka India Maldives Thailand

5. Image source : World vision Image source : Times of India

6. Economic and Environmental Impacts: Spread of solid and liquid waste and industrial chemicals. Ports ruined, fishing industry devastated. Reconstruction cost billions of dollars. Loss of earning from tourism – foreign visitors to Phuket dropped 80% in 2005. 8 millions litres of oil escaped from oil plants in Indonesia. Mangrove forest along the coast were destroyed. Crops, farm land destroyed. Coral reefs and coastal wetlands damaged.

7. Satellite photographs show the shores of Banda Aceh, on Sumatra, Indonesia, before (top) and two days after (bottom) it was hit by the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004

8. Reasons for Huge Loss: Lack of information High magnitude quake : IX (violent) None has preparedness program in place. Countries did not have a tsunami warning system(TEWS) in 2004. Dense coastal populations combined with a lack of tsunami-warning infrastructure came together to produce this horrific result Lack of improved communication which might have allowed them to evacuate coastal areas in time.

9. Efforts by Government of India: In the Indian government, natural disasters are handled by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The Indian Tri-Services (Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Indian Navy) were pressed into service to provide emergency support. Immediate Relief was facilitated by Govt. Of India through the release of grant from National calamity Contingency Fund, contributed Rs. 700 crore to states and UT’s. Total relief camps = 881 Medical teams were sent to states. 18 medical camps 20+ medical teams

10. Response and Recovery:

11. Reconstruction Assistance by Agencies/Institution:

12. Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS-INCOIS): The ITEWS was established in 2007 and is based at and operated by INCOIS, Hyderabad. According to experts from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System(INCOIS), India is much safer against tsunami threats than it was in 2004, due to tsunami early warning system at INCOIS. A real-time network of seismic stations. Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR). T ide gauges and 24 X 7 operational Tsunami W arning C entre.

13. At present, the tsunami warning centre receives data from- 17 seismic stations of the IMD 10 stations of the WIHG More than 300 international stations In addition, it receives data from 17 sea level tide gauges at intervals of five minutes. Using the data obtained from a network of equipment, models have been run to provide maps depicting inundation scenarios for the entire coastal belt. Based on this scenarios, the potential risk zones are identified to generate advisories for various stakeholders in the region. Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS-INCOIS)

14. How Early Tsunami Warning System Works:

15. Education and Warnings: Education needs to include knowledge of the cause of a tsunami its association with the largest earthquakes to help individuals to understand how their own observations can help them take appropriate action. Any occasion when the sea level recedes rapidly and inexplicably should be taken as a signal for immediate flight to higher ground. As warning systems that track the passage of the tsunami in the open ocean are being developed, self help solutions can be supplemented with information on how to respond to official warnings, such as those delivered through radio, cell phone message or sirens.

16. Policies in India: National Policy On Disaster Management (NPDM) Promoting a culture of prevention, preparedness, and resilience at all levels through knowledge, innovation and education. Promoting a productive partnership with the media to create awareness and contributing towards capacity development. Ensuring efficient response and relief with a caring approach towards the needs of the vulnerable sections of the society. Ensuring efficient mechanism for identification, assessment and monitoring of disaster risks.

17. Undertaking reconstruction as an opportunity to build disaster resilient structures and habitat for ensuring safer living. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 The Act provides for the legal and institutional framework for the effective management of disasters. The Act mandates creation of new institutions and assignment of specific roles for Central, State and Local Governments. Policies in India:

18. Way Forward: Provision of Bio Shield (BS) Emergency Tsunami Rescue Shelter (ETRS) Need to increase the awareness programmed basically in the coastline vulnerable areas.

19. Conclusions: We all are vulnerable to natural disasters . We must remember that the disasters do not recognise borders and can affect entire region. Coastal zones and small islands are often densely populated areas that increase people risk and vulnerability . Small islands like Andaman and Nicobar islands are barely a few metres above sea level, which means evacuation to higher levels is almost impossible. Government and local authorities need to take public habitat into consideration in long term planning and development, ensuring that risks are minimized. Involvement of community civil defence volunteers, NGOs, youth organizations is also important.

20. Public awareness and education are essential to protecting people and property. In Thailand more than 1800 people were saved because a tribal chief recognized that and decided to evacuate his people up to hills. Countries need to work together at the regional and international levels ahead of time, instead of waiting unless disaster strikes to respond. Conclusions:

21. Thankyou