Tsunami centre can detect quakes within 10 minutes: Govt

New Delhi: The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) is capable of detecting tsunamigenic earthquakes within 10 minutes of their occurrence and can disseminate advisories to authorities concerned within 20 minutes through various modes of communication. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, S Jaipal Reddy, Minister for Earth Science (MoES), today said, “The ITEWC is capable of detecting tsunamigenic earthquakes occurring in the Indian Ocean region as well in the global oceans within 10 minutes of their occurrence. [caption id=“attachment_1382483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Tsunami barriers. Reuters image[/caption] “It can disseminate the advisories to the concerned authorities within 20 minutes through various modes of communication like email, fax, SMS, Global Telecommunication System and website.” The ITEWC, established in Hyderabad in 2007 after the 2004 tsunami, also renders operational service as a Regional Tsunami Watch Provider (RTWP) for whole of the Indian Ocean Region by the Earth System Science Organisation. It comprises real-time seismic monitoring network of 17 broadband seismic stations apart from other national and international seismic stations to detect tsunamigenic earthquakes from two known subduction zones of Andaman- Sumatra and Makran in Indian Ocean. This can potentially affect the entire Indian coastal states and island regions. “It also comprises a network of 6 real-times coastal sea-level sensors with Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR) in the open ocean, HF radars for coastal current and 25 coastal tide guage stations to capture tsunami wave speed and amplitude on 24X7 basis. “All types of data collected from the ITEWC are fully archived and are fully accessible to the Decision Support System,” Reddy added. PTI