Indian Ocean test for tsunami warning

PHOTO

Meulaboh, Aceh, under water in December 2004 after a tsunami hit the Indonesian province. [AFP]

Last Updated: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:20:00 +1100

Eighteen countries around the Indian Ocean are holding the first region-wide test of a tsunami warning system aimed at saving thousands of lives,

The exercise, which includes Australia, simulates a warning to Indian Ocean countries after a 9.2 earthquake identical to that which generated the Boxing Day tsunami off Aceh, Indonesia, in 2004.

Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 09 was being held on Wednesday, World Disaster Reduction Day.

It is the first ocean-wide test of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System, set up by United Nations scientific body UNESCO the year after the Aceh tragedy .

Bulletins

The simulated tsunami will spread in real time across the entire Indian Ocean, taking around 12 hours to travel from Indonesia to the South African coast, the UN agency said in a statement.

Bulletins on seismic and sea level data will be sent from the Japan Meteorogical Agency in Tokyo and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii to national tsunami warning centres across the Indian Ocean.

Newly established watch centres in Australia, India and Indonesia will also take part.

AFP news agency says these are due in the near future to take over from Hawaii and Tokyo as monitors for the region.

UNESCO said the exercise would allow states to test communication channels with regional alert centres, and identify weaknesses in warning and emergency procedures.

Several countries will also test local responses by evacuating selected coastal communities.

The countries taking part are Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Timor Leste.

Few of the 29 Indian Ocean nations affected by the December 2004 tsunami had an adequate warning system in place