Tsunami warning system soon
Work on installing a tsunami warning system along the Indian coast is progressing fast and is likely to be completed by September 2007, Dr P S Goel, secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and chairman of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) said in Chennai on November 6, 2006.
Visiting Pallikaranai, near Chennai, he said the latest technology like bottom pressure recorders was being used to build a reliable system. "All precautions are being taken (in building the warning system). We should be reasonably sure and should avoid false warnings," he added.
When issuing a warning, the source of the earthquake and areas likely to be affected should also be studied. "More than the technology, awareness among people is important. When a warning is issued, what is more important is our reach to people."
Goel said his department, besides having its own cyclone warning systems, would tie up with the media to issue the tsunami warning.
Earlier, he inaugurated an international conference on recent advances in marine antifouling technology at NIOT. Antifouling is a technique to control damage caused to sea vessels due to microbes and marine life.
The recent legislature of the International Maritime Organisation, imposing a ban on use of tin-based antifouling paints has led to the necessity of evolving environment-friendly antifouling formulations which will be easily biodegradable, the organisers said.
(Agencies)
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