Tsunami Ready Village Certification
Context:
India is poised to have over 100 Tsunami-Ready villages in the Indian Ocean region.
This makes India the first country in the region to achieve this distinction.
Currently, Odisha has 24 certified villages.
New proposals include 72 more villages from Odisha and 9 from Kerala, with other states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh also identifying candidates.
About Tsunami Ready Recognition Program (TRRP):
It is a voluntary, community-based program designed to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies.
The recognition is awarded by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
It aims to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies that will protect life, livelihoods and property from tsunamis in different regions.
UNESCO’s IOC established in 1960, with Paris (France) as its Secretariat.
Members states: 152 including India
IOC is in-charge of coordinating the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (The Ocean Decade), that declared in 2017.
Criteria:
To qualify, a village must meet specific indicators including:
High community awareness about tsunamis.
Hazard preparedness and mapping.
Public display of evacuation maps.
Installation of 24-hour warning systems.
Regular participation in mock drills.
Tsunami Ready recognition does not mean that a community is tsunami proof; rather, it is an acknowledgement and recognition that a community has adopted mitigation measures to cope with their tsunami risk.
Implementation in India:
The Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, is the coordinating institute for implementing this initiative in India.
Role of INCOIS:
It operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
It tracks earthquakes globally to issue tsunami warnings for the Indian Ocean region.
It collaborates with state and UT governments to identify vulnerable communities.
While it focuses on tsunamis, the preparedness measures (evacuation routes and warning systems) also enhance resilience against other coastal hazards like cyclones.