India on Friday announced a $1 million contribution to a UN fund for tsunami, disaster and climate preparedness in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian countries on the 10th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami.
Ambassador of India to Thailand Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced the donation to the UN-ESCAP Multi donor Trust Fund for Tsunami.On December 26, 2004, a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s western point generated a series of massive tsunami that smashed the coastline of 14 countries including India, Thailand, Sri lanka and Somalia. The quake and the tsunamis claimed thousands of lives.
India’s contribution is expected to boost ESCAP’s efforts to strengthen early warning systems through regional and south-south cooperation, to ensure that vulnerable communities receive timely warning information that is required to save lives and livelihoods in disasters. The Trust Fund supports activities that build resilience through strengthened early warning systems for coastal hazards. In her message, Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs said: “India joins the international community in its efforts to prepare for any such natural calamity in future by establishing effective early warning systems.”