Uttarakhand needs trained human resources, modern equipment and better communication networking from the village to the State level in order to implement an earthquake early warning system. Uttarakhand Governor Dr Krishan Kant Paul said this at a meet organised on earthquake early warning system by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee’s Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation & Management (CoEDMM) in the Raj Bhawan here on Wednesday.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor said that a plan of action will have to be drafted for effective implementation of earthquake early warning system for mitigating possible damage from earthquakes in seismically sensitive Uttarakhand. Mock drills are also important for raising the level of public awareness on the subject. Paul said, “It is also vital to raise public awareness regarding the early warning system. Good networking will help in mitigating damage not only from earthquakes but also from other disasters. The earthquake early warning system has proved quite useful in Japan for mitigating loss of life and property from earthquakes,” said the governor. He expressed hope that information on earthquake early warning system that comes out of the seminar will prove useful for disaster management.
Professor Ashok Kumar from IIT Roorkee, who is heading pilot projects on earthquake early warning system in Uttarkashi and Joshimath also spoke in the meeting. He gave detailed information through a presentation on various aspects including the method of adopting modern technology, priorities and reliability of the system and the equipment used for such an earthquake early warning system among other issues. Along with Professor Kumar, Professor Ajay Gairola from IIT Roorkee and other experts talked about the use of the early warning system through various media like telephone, mobile phones, radio and television. The Government of India, Information and Technology department (e-governance) mission director Dr BK Gairola also expressed his views. Management of situation before, during and after an earthquake was also discussed. Buildings not being made seismically safe is one of the major reasons for public loss from earthquake, said the experts, while stressing on the need for identifying structurally unsafe buildings.