Launch of Phase 2c of the project "Strengthening Tsunami Early Warning in the North-West Indian Ocean Region through Regional Cooperation"

The tsunami inundation and evacuation mapping phase of the UNESCAP-funded project on “Strengthening tsunami early warning in the North-West Indian Ocean region through regional cooperation” was launched on 15 November 2023 via an online webinar.  The project involves India, Iran and Pakistan with Oman and United Arab Emirates participating on a self-funded basis. The new phase focuses on capacity building through the development of tsunami inundation and evacuation maps for pilot communities of the North-West Indian Ocean Member States. The project serves as a platform for the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme and the United Nations initiative of “Early Warning for All” by 2027.

The webinar was jointly organised by UNESCO-IOC’s Secretariat for the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWMS) and Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center (IOTIC). Opening remarks were provided by Prof. Dwikorita Karnawati, Chair of the ICG/IOTWMS, Mr Rick Bailey, Heado of UNESCO-IOC's Secretariat for the ICG/IOTWMS, and Ms Temily Baker, Programme Management Officer at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), with closing remarks provided by Dr. Mohammad Mokhtari, Chair of the ICG/IOTWMS Regional Working Group for the North West Indian Ocean. Around 35 attendees, mostly the from North-West Indian Ocean Member States of India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates, attended in the project launch.

Photo: Participants at launch of Phace 2c of the project "Strengthening tsunami early warning in the North-West Indian Ocean region through regional cooperation", 15 November 2023.

The main object of Phase 2c is capacity training in the development of tsunami inundation maps and evacuation plans to facilitate effective community responses to the threat from near-field and far-field tsunamis. The expected regional outcomes include a) Increased capacities and knowledge on tsunami and inundation modelling and mapping in the participating countries; b) Improved databases for tsunami forecasting at National Tsunami Warning Centers c) Increased coverage of areas with scientifically robust inundation maps for the threat of tsunami, as well as information for risk-sensitive planning; d) Tested and approved tsunami evacuation plans in selected pilot areas providing references for further up-scaling; and e) National mechanism and capability to support the development of evacuation plans at community level in remaining tsunami prone areas in line with the requirements of the UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.

Joint training workshops on inundation mapping and evacuation planning will be held in March 2024 in Oman. 

The tsunami evacuation products will be tested through evacuation drills in the pilot communities during August 2024. Regular tsunami evacuation drills are an important component of the UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme. A further phase of the project, to be proposed for 2025-26, is the extension of tsunami preparedness across all twelve Tsunami Ready Indicators of assessment, preparedness, and response in the pilot communities.

The Phase 2c project launch documents and presentations are available at https://oceanexpert.net/event/4007.