Comprehensive Strategy and Early Warning System is a must to Combat Cyclones

32nd Wmo/Escap Conference On Tropical Cyclones Begins

Inaugurating the 32nd World Meteorological Organisation, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) conference on Tropical Cyclones, the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Shri Kapil Sibal said that a comprehensive and long term strategy and effective Early Warning System is necessary to mitigate the disastrous effects of tropical cyclones. Shri Sibal stressed the need for an improved observational network and data processing systems, high resolution numerical weather prediction models along with effective communication network to forecast and warnings with precision. The Minister informed that IMD is in the process of upgrading state-of-the-art digital type cyclone warning dissemination systems (CWDS).

Shri Sibal expressed his happiness that Tsunami Warning System has been included as a special agenda item for discussion. He hoped that through cooperation among members of the panel and the support from WMO, ESCAP and other organizations, would enable India to establish this system soon. He hoped that monitoring and prediction, early warning, quick dissemination and effective response to the warnings are the basic issues to be addressed by the Conference for fruitful results.

Prof. V.S Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology has said that Risk Communications is a much larger challenge to disseminate to the population. Cyclone related preparedness adds another challenge, he said. Prof. Ramamurthy expressed his happiness that this inter-governmental Panel has been doing excellent work for the last 33 years in coordinating the efforts in monitoring, forecast and warning of tropical cyclones in this part of the world.

About fifteen delegates from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand and equal number of delegates from India representing IMD, Natural Disaster Management Division (Ministry of Home Affairs), Central Water Commission and Department of Ocean Development are participating in the session.

The six-day meeting will also discuss the progress that was made during the last one year on the recommendations made in the previous session. It will also discuss the tropical cyclone operational plan for North Indian Ocean and suggest changes, if any, so that the operational plan becomes more efficient. After the deliberations, this Panel will make recommendations for implementations to the concerned Governments.

A one-day technical conference on the theme 'Water related disasters with special reference to Storm Surges and Tsunami and their early Warning system' has been included in the prgramme of this session.

Earlier, Mr. ISA Al Majeed, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO); Mr. Le Huu Ti, ESCAP; Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, Chariman, Technical Support Unit (TSU); Mr. S.R Kalsi and Mr. B. Lal, Additional Directors General of Meteorology also spoke on the occasion.

Source: Ministry of Science & Technology
Date: February 21, 2005