Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 11: Tsunami preparedness and community-level response mechanisms in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands came under focus as the Directorate of Disaster Management, A&N Administration, began a two-day workshop on the Tsunami Ready Programme in coordination with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, Hyderabad, in Sri Vijaya Puram on Thursday.
The workshop, being held at the Training Hall of Aapda Prabandhan Bhawan, brought together officials from all District Administrations and Line Departments, along with members of District- and Village-level Tsunami Ready Committees. The programme aims to strengthen preparedness, improve coordination among institutions and build community resilience in vulnerable coastal areas.
Secretary (Disaster Management), A&N Administration, Pallavi Sarkar, attended the inaugural session as chief guest and stressed the need for coordinated action by District Administrations, Line Departments and community-level committees to implement the Tsunami Ready Programme effectively and strengthen preparedness at the grassroots level.
Director (Disaster Management), A&N Administration, Priyanka Kumari, opened the programme by underlining the importance of preparedness and coordinated action among stakeholders. Director, INCOIS, Hyderabad, T. M. Balakrishnan Nair, delivered the welcome address virtually and highlighted the role of the Tsunami Ready Programme in strengthening community preparedness and resilience against tsunami hazards.
Janik Ram, Assistant Director (Administration), Directorate of Disaster Management, delivered the vote of thanks, following which the workshop moved into technical sessions focused on tsunami hazards and India’s Tsunami Early Warning System.
The sessions also examined the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Programme, including its indicators and implementation framework, as well as the assessment of Tsunami Ready indicators. Participants received guidance on preparedness and response measures and on the documentation and evidence required to obtain Tsunami Ready Recognition.
A separate session reviewed the status of the Tsunami Ready Programme in the A&N Islands, covering progress, gaps and the way forward. The session provided a platform to assess work undertaken so far and identify areas requiring further action.
The first day concluded with an interactive discussion in which participants sought clarifications and worked on an action plan for implementing the programme.
