Sri Vijaya Puram, May 17: A half-day virtual workshop on the Tsunami Ready Programme was organized today in the Mini Conference Hall of the Secretariat by the Directorate of Disaster Management, A&N Administration, in coordination with Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Hyderabad. The workshop was organized in view of the vulnerability of the A&N Islands to natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis and aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and coastal community resilience across the Islands.
Smti Pallavi Sarkar, Secretary (Disaster Management), A&N Administration expressed gratitude to INCOIS for extending continuous support and technical assistance towards implementation of the Tsunami Ready Programme in the identified villages of the A&N Islands. She also urged all participants including District Administrations, representatives of line Departments, Tribal Captains, PRI members, and community stakeholders to actively and cordially participates in the workshop for implementation of Tsunami Ready Programme for strengthening community resilience and disaster preparedness in the identified Tsunami Ready Villages of this UT.
The Tsunami Ready Programme of UNESCO, implemented through its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), is an international community recognition programme designed to strengthen tsunami preparedness and resilience in coastal areas. The programme helps communities develop the capacity to effectively respond to tsunami threats by promoting early warning systems, hazard mapping, evacuation planning, public awareness, regular mock drills, and coordination among government departments, local authorities, and communities. A community is recognized as “Tsunami Ready” when it fulfills a set of internationally accepted indicators related to preparedness, awareness, and response mechanisms, thereby reducing loss of life and property during tsunami events.
At the outset, Smti Priyanka Kumari, Director (Disaster Management), A&N Administration welcomed the Director (INCOIS), Hyderabad, Secretary (DM), A&N Administration, representatives from INCOIS and all the participants of District Administrations, line Departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Tribal Captains, village-level functionaries and community representatives attending the workshop through virtual mode.
Dr. T.M. Balakrishnan Nair, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), MoES, GoI, Hyderabad highlighted the objectives of the Tsunami Ready Programme and elaborated on its significance and benefits for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The technical session was conducted virtually by Ms. M.V. Sunanda and Dr. B. Ajay Kumar, Scientists from Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services. During their presentations, they briefed the participants on various activities and indicators of the Tsunami Ready Programme being implemented in all 30 identified villages of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. They informed that the implementation process and indicators to be examined by the National Level Committee constituted by INCOIS and submit the same to UNESCO for certification of the identified villages of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as Tsunami Ready Villages. Further, the Director (DM) has also briefed about constituted Committees at UT, District and Village Level alongwith their roles and functions for implementation of the Tsunami Ready Programme in ANI.
Officials from various Departments, District Administrations, Panchayati Raj Institutions, village-level functionaries, Tribal Captains, and community representatives participated in the workshop and discussed various preparedness measures for minimizing disaster risks and enhancing resilience in tsunami-prone coastal areas.