News: India is set to have over 100 villages certified as tsunami-ready in the Indian Ocean region. This achievement will make India the first country in the Indian Ocean region to have such a large number of tsunami-ready villages.
About Tsunami Ready Programme
- It is an initiative led by UNESCO to strengthen community resilience against tsunami hazards through preparedness and awareness strategies.
- UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has developed and published Standard Guidelines for the Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.
- Aim: To protect lives, livelihoods, and property by improving the readiness of coastal communities exposed to tsunami risks.
- Objectives
- The primary objective is to enhance coastal community preparedness for tsunamis and minimize potential loss of life and economic damage.
- The programme promotes the achievement of a standard level of tsunami preparedness through the fulfilment of clearly defined and established indicators.
- Nature of the Programme
- Tsunami Ready is a voluntary, performance-based community recognition programme rather than a regulatory or enforcement mechanism.
- The programme emphasizes readiness as a continuous and collaborative process involving national and local warning agencies, emergency management authorities, scientists, community leaders, and the general public.
- The tsunami-ready initiative is driven primarily by community participation and local engagement.
- Certification and Criteria
- Tsunami-ready villages are certified based on high levels of tsunami awareness and preparedness.
- Certification criteria include hazard mapping, public display of evacuation maps, functional 24-hour warning systems, and regular participation in mock drills.
- The certification is awarded by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
- National-Level Implementation
- In India, the Ministry of Earth Sciences has established a National Tsunami Ready Board to guide and oversee the programme’s implementation.
- It is responsible for promoting the initiative, coordinating national tsunami preparedness exercises, and linking the programme with the biennial IOWave exercise organized by the ICG/IOTWMS.
- India is expected to soon have more than 100 villages designated as tsunami-ready across the Indian Ocean region.
- With this achievement, India will become the first country in the region to attain such a large number of tsunami-ready villages.
- Progress Across States and Union Territories
- At present, 24 coastal villages across six districts have already received tsunami-ready certification.
- Odisha is preparing to add 72 more villages to the list of certified tsunami-ready communities.
- Other states and Union Territories such as Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have also identified villages for the programme.
- Kerala has proposed nine coastal villages for tsunami-ready recognition by March or April 2026.
- Role of INCOIS
- The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, plays a central role in implementing the tsunami-ready initiative in India.
- INCOIS operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), which monitors earthquakes worldwide and issues tsunami warnings for the Indian Ocean region.
- INCOIS serves as the coordinating institute for the implementation of the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready programme in India.
