tsunami impact on india.docx

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Page 1 Tsunami Impact on India: With Special Reference to Early Warning System Ashutosh Mohanty (MSc. AIT, Thailand) LLB, PhD. Contd Introduction: The word ‘Tsunami’ is of Japanese origin, which means, “harbour wave”. Tsunami are large waves that are generated when the see floor is deformed by seismic activity, vertically displacing the overlying water in the ocean. The quake occurred at a place where several massive geological plates push against each other with massive force. Tsunami has very low height while traveling over deep ocean. High waves occur only when it reaches the shallow waters, typically near the coast. The mega thrust earthquake- measuring 9.0 at Richter scale, off the western coast of northern Sumatra (Banda Ache), Indonesia was the largest of its type since the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake off

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Tsunami Impact on India: With Special Reference toEarly Warning SystemAshutosh Mohanty (MSc. AIT, Thailand) LLB, PhD. ContdIntroduction:The word Tsunami is of Japanese origin, which means, harbour wave. Tsunami arelarge waves that are generated when the see floor is deformed by seismic activity,vertically displacing the overlying water in the ocean. The quake occurred at a placewhere several massive geological plates push against each other with massive force.Tsunami has very low height while traveling over deep ocean. High waves occur onlywhen it reaches the shallow waters, typically near the coast. The mega thrust earthquake-measuring 9.0 at Richter scale, off the western coast of northern Sumatra (Banda Ache),Indonesia was the largest of its type since the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake offAlaska in 1964. The deadliest natural disaster caused by thetsunamigenerated from anundersea earthquake on 26 December 2004 in the Indian Ocean has shaken up the world.The 2004tsunamigenerated waves of up to 15 meters in height and even hit Somalia at adistance of about 4500 km west of the epicenter. The tsunami traveled slowly and tookseven hours to hit the farthest coast at the west. Because of the 1200 kilometer of the faultline affected by the seaquake was in a nearly north-south orientation, the greatest strengthof the tsunami waves was in the east-west direction.The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. The earthquake originated in theIndian Ocean just north of Simeulue island, off the western coast of northern Sumatra,Indonesia. The resulting tsunamis devastated the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India,Thailand, and other countries with waves of up to 15 m (50 feet) high, even reaching theeast coast of Africa, 4500 km (2,800 miles) west of the epicenter.The Unieted StatesGeological Survey recoreded the magnitude of the earthquake of Sumatra at 8.9 with theepicenter lying 10km below the seabed. Aftershocks struck in the magnitude 7 range. Thequake occurred at a place where several massive geological plates push against eachother with massive force. The survey said, a 1000 kilometer section along the boundryof the plate shifted, a motion that triggered the sudden displacement of a huge volume ofwater. An interesting phenomenon of the seismic tidal waves in the different part of theworld was that people saw sea water disappearing away from the beaches in the minutesbefore the giant wave lashed back with infernal fury devouring whatever come on theway of their lethal onslaught. Scientists say the effect is caused by tidal waves shockingshallow coastal waters out to see before returning them as a massive wall of water.The titanic tsunami that wrought unprecedented death and destruction in South andSouth-East Asia will go down in history as one of the greatest natural calamities of themodern times. The great disaster caught the people and the government off guard and in amatter of minutes, snuffed out more than 2,00,000 lives. Across the more than twelvecountries. The number of people rendered homeless might run into millions, as noestimate is immediately available as to how many children have become orphans, howmany women become widows and how many families have been wiped out in a singlesweep.

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Impact of Tsunami in India:Almost all the countries situated around the Bay of Bengal were affected by the tsunamiwaves in the morning hours of 26 December 2004 (between 0900 1030 hrs IST). Thekiller waves were triggered by an earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale that hadan epicenter near the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. The first recorded tsunami inIndia dates back to 31 December 1881. An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richterscale, with its epicenter believed to have been under the sea off the coast of Car NicobarIsland, caused the tsunami. The last recorded tsunami in India occurred on 26 June 1941,caused by an earthquake with magnitude exceeding 8.5. This caused extensive damage tothe Andaman Islands. There are no other well-documented records of Tsunami in India.It was all quiet on the waterfront on the Sunday morning after Christmas in 2004 atKanyakumari, the famous Marina Beach in Chennai and elsewhere on the Kerala coastand Andaman Nicober Islands. There was the excitement of a holyday with an offbeatmood with swarms of people on the sea front: children playing cricket and man andwomen on their morning work at the Marina. Elsewhere, fishermen were putting out tosea for the days catch. Then all on a sudden, a curious thing happened. Theholidaymakers at Kanyakumari were awestruck when the sea receded from the shores.In the present tsunami, India was the third country severely battered after Indonesia andSrilanka. In India the State severely affected by tsunami are Tamilnadu, Pondicheri,Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman and Nicober Island. The following Table.1 showsthe average scenario of tsunami devastation in the respective areas. The data relating tothe Andaman and Nicober are yet to be assessed, for which it does appear in the e TableTable. 1 (Tsunami damage in India)Tsunami damage in India1FactorAndhraPradeshKeralaTamilNaduPondicherryTotalPopulation affected211,000 2,470,000 691,00043,0003,415,000Area affected (Ha)790 Unknown2,4877904,067Length of coastaffected (Km)9852501,000252,260Extent ofpenetration (Km)0.5 - 2.01 - 21 - 1.50.30 - 3.0Reported height oftsunami (m)53-57-1010Villages affected30118736226876Dwelling units1,55711,83291,0376,403110,829Cattle lost195 Unknown5,4763,4459,116(Source: DiMaRF, India-2005)

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Tamil NaduThe state of Tamil Nadu has been the worst affected on the mainland, with a death toll of7,793. Nagapattinam district has had 5,525 casualties, with entire villages having beendestroyed. Kanyakumari district has had 808 deaths, Cuddalore district 599, the statecapital Chennai 206 and Kancheepuram district 124. The death tolls in other districtswere Pudukkottai (15), Ramanathapuram (6), Tirunelveli (4), Thoothukudi (3), Tiruvallur(28), Thanjavur (22), Tiruvarur (10) and Viluppuram (47).Those killed in Kanyakumari include pilgrims taking a holy dip in the sea. Of about 700people trapped at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial off Kanyakumari, 650 were rescued.In Chennai, people playing on the Marina beach and those who taking a Sunday morningstroll were washed away, in addition to the fisherfolk who lived along the shore and thoseout at sea. The death toll at Velankanni in Nagapattinam district is currently 1,500. Mostof these people were visiting the Basilica of the Virgin Mary for Christmas, while otherswere residents of the town. The nuclear power station at Kalpakkam was shut down aftersea water rushed into a pump station. No radiation leak or damage to the reactor wasreportedPondicherryAn estimated 30,000 people are homeless in the Union territory of Pondicherry. Thecurrent official toll is 560. The affected districts are Pondicherry (107 dead), Karaikal(453 dead).Kariakal is the most devastrated area from the Pondichery Union territory.Where massivedestruction and loss of casualities accure.This mishalp occure because of uncover stoneblock.Mostly fisherfolk are affected due to location and distance between sea and theirbasti (village).Fishing peoples are just preparing for venturing into sea and withinfraction of seconds every thinng wash away and their boats are damaged they lost everything in terms of life and property. More than 453 people are died so far and still someare missing .KeralaThe current official toll is 168. The affected districts are Kollam (131 dead), Alappuzha(32 dead), Ernakulam (5 dead).The tsunami that hit the Kerala coust on December26,2004 , were three to five metres high ,according to the National Institute of DisasterManagement,(NIDM) which functions under the ministray of home affairs.The Tidalupsourge had affected 250 killometers of the kerala costline and entered between one ortwo kilometers inland.pounded 187 villeges affecting 24.70 lakh persons in the state .Asmany as 6,280 dwelling units were destroyed. As many as 84,773 persons wee evacuatedfrom the costal areas and accomedated in 142 Relif Camaps opened in Kollam,Alappuzhaand Ernakulam Districts.According to NIDM,131 Lives were lost in Kollam,32 in Alappuzha and five inErnakulam,taking the official death tole to 168.High wave sweept the cost along a 40-Kmstretch ,from Sakthikulangare in the south to Thrikunnapuzha in the north.This stretch hastwo narrow strips of land sand wiched between the sea and back water.

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Andhra PradeshThe current official toll is 105. The affected districts are Krishna (35 dead), Prakasam (35dead), Nellore (20 dead), Guntur (4 dead), West Godavari (8 dead) and East Godavari (3dead).Andaman and Nicobar :The Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 572 islands (all land masses in both low andhigh tides) out of which 38 are inhabited, both by people from the mainland andindigenous tribes. The islands lie just north of the earthquake epicentre, and the tsunamireached a height of 15 m in the southern Nicobar Islands. The official death toll is 812,and about 7,000 are still missing. The unofficial death toll (including those missing andpresumed dead) is estimated to be about 7,000.The Great Nicobar and Car Nicobar islands were the worst hit among all the islandsbecause of their proximity to the quake and relative flatness. Aftershocks continue to rockthe area. One fifth of the population of the Nicobar Islands is said to be dead, injured ormissing. Chowra Island has lost two thirds of its population of 1,500. Entire islands havebeen washed away, and the island of Trinket has been split in two. Communicationshave just restored with the Nancowry group of islands, some of which have beencompletely submerged, with the total number of the population still out of contactexceeding 7,000.Among the casualties in Car Nicobar, 100 Indian Air Force personnel and their familymembers were washed away when the wave hit their air base, which was reported to havebeen severely damaged. The St. Thomas Cathedral (also known as theJohn Richardsonchurchafter John Richardson, a missionary and member of parliament) was washedaway. The church, established in 1930 was one of the oldest and prominent churches inthe region. A cricket stadium named after John Richardson and a statue dedicated to himwere also washed away.The majority of the population of Andaman Islands is made up of people from themainland, mostly from West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The natives of Andaman andNicobar Islands are endangered tribal groups, such as such as the Jarawa, the Sentinelese,the Shompen, the Onge and the Andamanese. They are regarded as anthropologicallysignificant as they are some of the world's most primitive tribes and considered theworld's only link to ancient civilisation. Most of these tribes have maintained theiraboriginal lifestyle for centuries, and government policy has been to not interfere withthem unless absolutely essential.It is reported that most of the native islanders survived the tsunami because they live onhigher ground or far from the coast. The Onge (with a 2001 census population of 96),Jarawa (240), Sentinelese (39) and Andamanese (43) have been reached by survey teamsand are confirmed to be safe although the number of dead is unknown. The Sentineleselive on a reserved island and are hostile to outsiders which is making it difficult forIndian officials to visit the island. They have shot arrows at helicopters sent to check onthem. In the Nicobar Islands, the Nicobarese, a Mongoloid tribe (2001 population of

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28,653), have lost about 656 lives with 3,000 still missing. Surveys are being conductedon the Shompen (2001 census count of 398) located on Great Nicobar island.India's only active volcano, Barren 1, located at Barren Island 135 kilometres (80 miles)northeast of the capital Port Blair, erupted because of increased seismic activity on 30December 2004. People have been evacuated since then and there have been no reports ofany casualties.Early warning system:The largest tsunami, which struck 11 nations that border the Indian Ocean, was acomplete surprise for the people living there. Many seismic networks recorded marineearthquake, but there was no tidal sensors other than wave sensors to provideconfirmation as to whether a tsunami had been generated. There was no establishedcommunication network or organization infrastructure to pass a warning of any kind tothe people living at coastlines. No tsunami warning system exists for the Indian Ocean asit exists in the Pacific Ocean. There should need for Early warning Center set up inIndian ocean and every country within the Indian ocean part of this for sharinginformation .In India for whole costal line there should be warning center both forcyclone and tsunami. There will be need for starting a research based on tsunami and itsimpact.From my Field visit, Relief operation, observation and discussion with the affectedpeople (Tamilnadu, Kerala, Pondicherri) and local community; I got followinginformation from the devastated site;Economic problems-- 1) Many of them never had a bank accounts regarding theirsavings. 2) Another point is about their business i.e. some of them lost their boat andsome of thems boats were partialy damaged, in this funniest part is that govt. of Keralahas prepared some data about this boats and their expenses in that the number of boatsdameged r less in number than lost boats and govt. is paying more for the dameged boats.I have collected its particulars i.e. gove documents.3) People use to keep money inhouses it all gone in tsunami. 4) They need money to restart their business. 5) Basicinfrastructure is need to be develop, (5) Govt. should provide both financial and subsidesto restate their business and there should be need of need for storeing, canning anddraying facility for the long term rehabilitation of affected people with the governmentinitiatives and assistance.Social Problems--- 1) disturbed Minds 2) bad habites like drinking 3) societal problemsin between some social groups like schedule cast and other casts 4) Psychologicalproblems in the students need to be sort out. 5) Fear about sea in childrens 6) Proble ofmigration from sea cost may arise 7) some other elements who r not suffered r takinggovt. facilities because of which a group of people is dissatisfied with the govt. 8) Manyof the distructed houses were of schedule cast people 9) role of NGO and govt.

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Need Assessment:Livelihood Restoration in the affected areas:Restoration of livelihood of the tsunami victims is on the front side of rescue operationscontinuing in the affected areas. Shelter, water, food, and medical relief continue to bepriorities of the people in the tsunami devasted areas, which need to be addressed onwarlike basis. Oxfam, Unicef, CARE, Action Against Hunger, AmeriCares, WorldVision, Save the Children, and many others bringing in (or purchasing locally) suppliesfor hundreds of thousands of tsunami victims for the coming weeks and months. Butthere are other problems to be addressed, too:Establishing distribution systems.One of the most vexing problems facing the reliefeffort has been the difficulty of getting the relief where it is needed most, especially inBanda Aceh. The International Organization on Migration and the Red Cross, along withmany partners, have worked to set up distribution systems in the affected areas,requisitioning warehouses and trucks tomanage the large quantities of aid materialsflowing into the region. Military helicopters from the United States and elsewhere havebeen essential in distributing aid to places inaccessible by road.Caring for children.Organizations like Unicef and Save the Children have begun toshift from focusing solely on food, hygiene, and shelter to their particular child-focusedmissions. Unicef has begun to construct temporary school facilities and distribute"school-ina- box" kits, pledging to have many schools operational as soon as January 20.The Red Cross and various partners are working to vaccinate the displacedchildren against measles, and Save the Children has taken steps to register child victimsto help prevent their exploitation.Post-trauma counseling.Children and adults alike may need psychological help to dealwith the trauma of the disaster; in India, social workers, psychologists, and others havevolunteered as counselors in the affected areas, but this is only a beginning. TheRed Cross is sending more counseling professionals to the affected areas.Locating and identifying the dead.This may be one of the largest forensic challengesof all time, with more than 20 forensic teams in Thailand alone gathering DNA samplesfor analysis on site or in China. Their efforts have been complicated by the need tobury corpses quickly to prevent the spread of disease.Restoring livelihoods.The tsunami destroyed the boats of many coastal fishermen,making it impossible for them to earn a living. Already, one U.S. group has begun raisingmoney to pay local shipwrights to replace the lost vessels, thus stimulating thelocal economy while allowing the fishermen to become self sufficient once again.Cleanup and reconstruction.NGOs on the ground in the affected areas estimate thatcleanup alone could take a year or more, and obviously rebuilding infrastructure and thelocal economy will take even longer. While assessments are already being made, thisphase of the relief is not yet at the fore.

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Needs Assessment post math situation:Impact on livelihoodThe cyclones and the rough sea during certain parts of the year have so far been the majorcause of loss of life and property of small-scale fishers in the Bay of Bengal region. TheTsunami has now added a new dimension to their safety and welfare issues. Naturalcalamities like cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc are also becoming more frequent4inthe coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal and the fishermen community faces major impactsof such calamities.The consequences of natural calamities are manifold and bring considerable hardships tothe small-scale fisher families. Besides loss of dwellings and fishing assets, many livesare lost. Since their socio-economic status is also low and livelihood options are limited,the calamities further push them into the fold of poverty and deprivation. While theimmediate requirements of the fisher-communities (like food, water, medicines, clothing,etc.) are being provided by the Government and the various relief/aid agencies, thedonors or specialized agencies (FAO, Regional Fishery Bodies, etc.) may considerproviding technical interventions, which would be useful in livelihood support and alsoinstitutional building on a long-term basis. In this regard the following short-term andlong-term suggestions are proposed.Conclusion:We are all numbed by the toll of human misery from this disaster. It is estimated by theWorld Health Organization that three to five million people in the region lack basicnecessities such as food, clean drinking water and shelter with the specter of disease-related illness spreading through typhoid, cholera, and dysentery because of contaminatedwater systems. Today the United States government annually spends less than 1 percentof its budget on foreign aid, mainly through USAID. Even the $350 million pledged bythe United States government for this disaster relief accounts only for .003 percent of ourgross national product. The oil rich kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, whichrun billion dollar surpluses in their budgets, initially gave only $10 million each to therelief effort as compared to the $764 million relief package announced by Australia andGermanys pledge of $674 million and Japans pledge of $500 million. Government ofIndia also providing huge amount of package foe all tsunami affected areas like1000Crors (INR) relief operation and restoration programme and handling all operationsolely without international assistance funding/Aid.We are seeing a confluence of assistance; a spirit of cooperation and giving that has notbeen seen since our own human tragedy of 9/11. Some charities like Doctors WithoutBorders and Save the Children are overwhelmed with financial support beyond theirneeds and capacity to deliver needed relief and are advising contributors to makecontributions to other agencies and for broader causes. How NGOs handle thisoutpouring of money and support may well determine how the world supports this sectorin the future. We are rapidly approaching the time that once the immediatehumanitarian relief is provided we must look to the future. An international relief effort

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will be needed to coordinate the assistance for the rebuilding of devastatedcommunities and families. In this rebuilding and planning process the lessons learnedfrom our experience with other disasters will be helpful but only a beginning unlesswethoroughly change the process for the delivery of disaster relief.What must be done is to continue the cooperation and building of the capacity ofindigenous NGO communities so that they can become active participants when disastersof this nature occur. The scale of this tsunami tragedy offers an opportunity forinternational and domestic NGOs to focus on a more integrated process of relief,rebuilding, and, most important of all, reducing the vulnerability ofinternational communities to future dangers.NGOs need to be more proactive in advocating preemptive strategies for the next tragedy.For example, primary factors contributing to the high death toll are poverty and poorliving conditions. NGOs must advocate long-term economic development andinfrastructure projects including better roads, building construction, and more hospitalsand clinics. NGOs must participate in economic and government reforms in the poorercountries in exchange for the support of richer nations providing more aid and favorabletrade and debt reduction policies toward the affected countries. The World Bank shouldinsist that future funding include community participation in redevelopment efforts andtransparency in government action. The Bush administrations Millennium ChallengeAccount is another example of an attempt to fight global poverty by requiring recipientcountries to meet tougher standards of good government and accountability. NGOs mustremain in the forefront of advocating reform and democratic ideals under the rule of law.The world will be carefully watching to see what we have learned from this disaster.By: Ashutosh Mohanty, MSc., (AIT,Thailand),LLBPhD. Student P.G. Dept of Public AdministrationUtkal University ,Orissa, Indiawww.sc99ews.comhttp://www.isse.ucar.edu/superstorm/team.html