All set for Indian Ocean tsunami exercise

Islamabad : Pakistan will join more than 20 countries around the Indian Ocean Rim as participant of the mock tsunami scenarios on September 4 and 5.

It will exercise the Makran Trench scenario on September 4.

According to Dr Muhammad Hanif, chief meteorologist at the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the purpose of the Indian Ocean-wide exercise is to increase preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each country and improve coordination throughout the region.

“The aim is to exercise all levels of the tsunami warning and response chain, with a primary focus on the local coastal community level.”

He said the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and subsequent events in the Indian and Pacific Oceans had brought to the world’s attention the urgent need to be more prepared for such events.

“The exercise will test the current procedures of the Indian Ocean tsunami warning and mitigation system and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses in each country,” he said.

The weatherman said the ‘Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 2018’ would simulate Indian Ocean countries being put into a tsunami warning situation requiring government decision making.

“It builds on previous Indian Ocean exercise conducted in 2009, 2011, 2014, 1016 and tsunami evacuation drills conducted in five schools of Karachi in November and December 2017 in collaboration with UNDP, PMD and local administration.”

Muhammad Hanif said around 450 students and teachers were mobilised on that occasion, while parents, volunteers and local government officials also observed and learned about the process of tsunami evacuation exercise at the schools.

He said the drills were the first ever on such a scale to test school disaster response and evacuation plans for students and teachers.