Sri Vijaya Puram, May 22: A series of recent earthquakes and disaster preparedness drills have brought renewed urgency to crisis readiness in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a region prone to seismic and volcanic activity. With three tremors recorded this month, magnitudes 4.6 in Bambooflat, 4.4 in Campbell Bay, and 5.3 at a shallow 10 km depth, authorities are reinforcing the message: readiness saves lives.
No major damage has been reported, but experts warn that the islands’ location atop the Andaman Trench, a highly active subduction zone, makes it one of India’s most seismically vulnerable regions. The trench, where the Indian plate dives beneath the Eurasian plate, regularly triggers earthquakes and fuels ongoing volcanic activity at Barren Island, the country’s only active volcano.
In response, the Union Government and the Andaman and Nicobar Administration conducted extensive mock drills across the islands, simulating earthquakes, air attacks, fires, and mass evacuations. One key drill in Sri Vijaya Puram featured an air raid simulation led by the Andaman Nicobar Command, complete with sirens and blackout protocols. Temporary hospitals were erected, schools turned into shelters, and volunteers acted as casualties to test response speed and coordination.
The multi-agency exercise included the Health Department, civil defence, police, fire services, NGOs, and citizen volunteers. High community participation, especially among students, reflected growing public engagement in emergency preparedness.
“You can’t control an earthquake, but you can control your response to it,” said a senior disaster management official on condition of anonymity. “These drills remind us that when government, citizens, and institutions work together, lives can be saved.”
At a strategic level, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is developing an Earthquake Risk Index (EDRI) for high-risk zones like the Andaman Islands to guide infrastructure planning and zoning. The National Center for Seismology continues to monitor activity and is developing a real-time earthquake early warning system.
Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) programs are being rolled out, focusing on first aid, emergency communication, and evacuation skills, particularly for vulnerable groups in remote island communities. Additionally, the islands are now part of the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Programme, which ensures clear coastal signage, frequent drills, and local awareness to enable faster responses in the event of an oceanic quake.
Experts point to complex tectonic processes like back-arc extension in the Andaman Sea, which stretches the Earth’s crust and adds to the region’s seismic risk. These geological realities make robust preparedness efforts not just prudent but vital.
