TSUNAMI IN INDIA AND
TSUNAMI WALLS
Dr. A. K. AVASARALA MBBS, M.D.
PROFESSOR & HEAD
DEPT OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE
& EPIDEMIOLOGY
PRATHIMA INSTITUTE OF
MEDICAL SCIENCES,
KARIMNAGAR, A.P..
INDIA : +91 505417
avasarala@yahoo.com
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1) TO KNOW THE DEVASTATING
EFFECTS OF TSUNAMI IN INDIA
AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT
2) WILL THE CONSTRUCTION
OF TSUNAMI WALLS COSTEFFECTIVE FOR SMALL ISLAND
COUNTRIES?
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
a) SECURING PRE-DISASTER BASE
LINE DATA AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
b) STUDYING THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF
SIMILAR DISASTERS
c) ESTABLISHING SURVEILLANCE
CENTRES ENSUING THE COOPERATION
OF LOCALS
d) MAKING THE LOCALS AWARE OF
THE IMPENDING DISASTERS AND
THEIR MANAGEMENT
HISTORY OF INDIAN TSUNAMIS
THE OLDEST RECORD OF TSUNAMI IS
AVAILABLE FROM NOVEMBER 326 BC
EARTHQUAKE NEAR THE INDUS
DELTA/KUTCH REGION.
 THE EARLIEST RECORD OF TSUNAMI
IS REPORTED TO BE ABOUT 1.5
METERS AT CHENNAI (FORMERLY
MADRAS) WHICH WAS CREATED DUE
TO THE AUGUST 8, 1883 KRAKATOA
VOLCANIC EXPLOSION IN
INDONESIA.

HISTORY OF INDIAN TSUNAMIS


AN EARTHQUAKE OF MAGNITUDE 8.25
OCCURRED ABOUT 70 KILOMETERS
SOUTH OF KARACHI (PAKISTAN) AT
24.5 N AND 63.0 E ON NOVEMBER 27,
1945.
THIS CREATED A LARGE TSUNAMI OF
ABOUT 11.0 TO 11.5 METERS HIGH ON
THE COASTS OF INDIA IN THE
KUTCHCH REGION, AS REPORTED BY
PENDSE (1945).
T. S. Murty, Baird and Associates Coastal Engineers
Ottawa, Canada A. Bapat Sadashiv Peth, Puna, India
TSUNAMIGENIC COASTAL LINES
THE APPROXIMATE LENGTH OF THE
INDIAN COAST IS ABOUT 6000
KILOMETERS. THE COASTS RUN FROM
NORTH TO SOUTH AND HAVE TWO ARMS
IN THE EAST AND WEST WITH A
TAPERING END AT KANYAKUMARI.

THE TSUNAMIGENIC EARTHQUAKES
OCCUR MOSTLY AT THE FOLLOWING
THREE LOCATIONS;
 (1) THE ANDAMAN SEA,
 (2) AREA ABOUT 400-500 KILOMETERS
OF SRI LANKA (CEYLON),
 (3) THE ARABIAN SEA ABOUT 70-100
KILOMETERS SOUTH OF PAKISTAN
COAST -- OFF KARACHI AND
BALUCHISTAN.

IMPACT OF TSUNAMI IN INDIA







Total death toll
Missing persons
Tamilnadu
Andaman & Nicobar islands
Pondichery
Kerala
Andhra Pradesh
(source-Home MinistryGovt of India as on 08-01-2005)
9,675
6107
7941
1196
583
170
105
QUESTIONS THAT TSUNAMI ALONE
CAN ANSWER
WHERE IS MY MUMMY? I AM
PARENTLESS!--A CRYING
CHILD
WHERE IS MY EARNING SON?
--DEPENDENT OLD PEOPLE!
WHERE IS MY EARNING
HUSBAND?-- A DESTITUTE!
WHERE IS MY HOUSE?
--SHELTERLESS!
WHERE IS MY FISHING BOAT?
--FISHERMAN WHO LOST HIS
EARNING!
WHERE ARE MY AIRFORCE
ACADEMY OFFICIALS AT
NICOBAR ISLANDS?
--NATION AND THEIR KITH &
KIN
COASTAL PEOPLE
 TSUNAMI
AFFECTED THE PEOPLE IN
INDIAN COAST.
 FISHERMEN AND OTHER PEOPLE
LIVING ON MARINE INDUSTRIES
ARE MAXIMUM AFFECTED.
 MOST OF THEM ARE SIMPLY
WASHED AWAY.
 THEY ARE PANIC STRICKEN NOW TO
CONTINUE LIVING ON THE COAST.
REHABILITATION OF COASTAL
FISHERMEN
1.
2.
3.
4.
FISHERMEN ARE APTLY CALLED
AS GANGA PUTRAS i.e. SONS OF
THE WATER AS THEY EARN THEIR
LIVELIHOOD FROM THE SEA.
THEY WORSHIP THE SEA AS
THEIR MOTHER. THEY DON’T
WANT TO LEAVE THE COAST COME WHAT MAY
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO
EVACUATE THEM.
REHABILITATION IS DIFFICULT
PROBLEM.
WORST AFFECTED TOWNS IN
TAMILNADU
Nagapattanam & karaikal
 KARAIKAL
TOWN SUFFERS RS
256-CR DAMAGE
 NAGAPATNAM
– 800 PERSONS
WERE WASHED AWAY AT THE
BEACH.
HUMAN LOSS IN NICOBAR
ISLANDS
 4,657
missing from Katchal island
Sridhar K. Chari writes from Port
Blair THE latest figures provided by
the Integrated Relief Command
(IRC) here today reveal that
roughly 77 per cent of the 6010
officially declared “missing”, a
figure of 4657, are from the island
of Katchal in the southern Nicobar
group.
BRAVE
SCENE


10-year old
school girl
saved many
from
tsunami
Caught in
swirling
waters,
mother
makes
toughest
choice of
her life
UGLY SCENE
CHILDREN WERE MADE
HOMELESS
SINGLE PARENTED
SURVIVING PARENT IS
USUALLY A HELPLESS
UNEARNIG MOTHER
YOUNGEST ORPHAN IS FIVE
YEAR OLD
ORPHANGES ILL WORKING
CHILD TRADE OF TSUNAMI
ORPHANS TO CITIES AS CHILD
LABOUR AND PROSTITUTION
HOUSES
Thieves, rapists, kidnappers and
hoaxers prey on tsunami victims
TSUNAMI FEAR
 UNPRECEDENTED
TSUNAMI
DISTURBED MOST OF US.
 HITHERTO WE BELIEVED BEACH
RESORTS ARE WORTH HAVING.
 BUT KNOW PEOPLE ARE AFRAID
TO LIVE NEAR THE SEA COAST.
WHERE THEY WILL GO?
HENCE FEARLESS

Remote viewing
Andaman - Nicobar
tribals refuse to
come out from
jungles –as per
their predictions
fresh earthquakes
strike the islands
Staff reporter
January 04, 2005
DART - DEEP OCEAN ASSESSMENT
AND REPORT SYSTEM
 KAPIL
SIBAL, MINISTER FOR
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND
OCEAN DEVELOPMENT HAS SAID
THAT A TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM
AT A COST OF RS 1250 MILLIONS
AND IT WILL BE FULLY
FUNCTIONAL IN TWO-AND-HALF
YEARS.
Tsunami politics in India
 The
minister said: "When the
quake hit Indonesia, we had
information about it. What we did
not have information about was
the Tsunami. When there is any
information, there is a procedure
to be followed. Till the time we
have complete confirmation we
can't jump the gun. It was the
Tsunami which did all the damage
and it was not known before hand.
So far as this 2002 thing is
concerned, there is no information
and record in my ministry to this."
POOR DFISASTER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

TO A QUESTION, WHY INDIAN
SCIENTISTS, DESPITE VARIOUS
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS TO THEIR
CREDIT, FAILED TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL
WITH NATURAL DISASTERS, SIBAL
SAID "THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
NATURAL PHENOMENON, FOR WHICH
SCIENCE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND
AN ANSWER TILL NOW." Pessimism
or escapism?

SAME LAXITY HAPPENED WITH SUPER
CYCLONE IN AT ORISSA, BHOPAL GAS
TRAGEDY IN MADHYA PRADESH, DIVI
CYCLONE IN ANDHRA PRADESH AND
VERY FREQUENT TRAIN DISASTERS.
WE HAVE NOT LEANED THE
LESSONS
TAKE IT FOR GRANTED THAT TSUNAMI
CANNOT BE EITHER PREDICTED NOR
PREVENTED. IS IT AN EXCUSE?
WHETHER IT IS A TSUNAMI OR TIDAL
WAVE OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT , IT
IS A HUGE SEA WATER COMING TO
SHORE AND CUSING DAMAGE.
 DON’T WE HAVE SUCH EXPERIENCES IN
THE PAST? WHAT ABOUT DIVI CYCLONE
IN ANDHRA PRADESH IN 1977 AND
SUPERCYCLONE IN ORISSA?

 STILL
WE ARE NOT READY
SLOW AND HESITANT ACTION
 GOVERNMENT
NOT SURE OF
ANYTHING
 The Central Indian Government
failed to act on time and then
panicked all with false warning
 Balaji
Reddy, Special Correspondent
December 31, 2004
TSUNAMI BUDGET


PRESENTLY BUDGET IS 0.9 PER CENT
OF THE GDP. IT WOULD BE BROUGHT
UP TO TWO PER CENT OF THE GDP. IT
IS GOING TO BE DONE SOON.
POLITICAL COMMITMENT
PRESENT GOVERNMENT WILL SPEND THE
REQUIRED MONEY FOR SCIENCE AND FOR
PEOPLE'S SECURITY. IT IS OUR PRIORITY
“RELIEF CAMPS
 SHIFTED TO SAFER PLACES

630
6,42,297
GESTURES OF HUMANITY

Tendulkar to leave for Australia to play
CRICKET in tsunami relief fund match
Rs 14.55-cr handed over to Jayalalithaa,
CHIEF MINISTER, TAMILMADU
 Stalin hands over relief materials
 Centre to consider special package of
relief
 Centre to assess damage in tsunami-hit
Kerala Govt orders free ration to tsunamihit
 Gowda seeks panel to monitor relief works

FRENCH WALL
Historic Town in India Saved
by Sea Wall
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
The Associated Press
FRENCH WALL


STONE SEA WALL THAT KEPT
PONDICHERRY'S HISTORIC CENTER DRY
EVEN THOUGH TSUNAMI WAVES DROVE
WATER 24 FEET ABOVE THE NORMAL
HIGH-TIDE MARK.
THE PONDICHERRY DISTRICT RECORDED
SOME 600 DEATHS FROM THE HUGE
WAVES THAT STRUCK INDIA'S
SOUTHEASTERN COAST AFTER A
MAMMOTH EARTHQUAKE OFF INDONESIA,
BUT MOST OF THOSE KILLED WERE
FISHERMEN WHO LIVED IN VILLAGES
BEYOND THE MAN-MADE BARRIER
FRENCH WALL
AT ITS HEIGHT, THE BARRIER RUNNING
ALONG THE WATER'S EDGE REACHES
ABOUT 27 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. THE
BOULDERS, SOME WEIGHING UP TO A
TON, ARE WEATHERED BLACK AND
BROWN.
 ON DEC. 26, WHEN TOWERING WAVES
CRASHED AGAINST INDIA'S SOUTHERN
COAST, THE WALL HELD. PONDICHERRY
WAS VERY SAFE BECAUSE OF THE ROCK
BARRIER," SAID S. SUBRAMANIAN,
MANAGER OF THE TOURIST INFORMATION
BUREAU, WHICH HAS ITS OFFICE ON THE
ROAD OVERLOOKING THE OCEAN. HE SAID
ONLY THE FISHING VILLAGES AND BEACH
RESORTS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE
BARRIER WERE DAMAGED.

WALL SAVED MAALECITY
(MALDIVES)

MALE, THE CAPITAL CITY OF
MALDIVES IS ALSO SAVED BY
A WALL WHEN TSUNAMI HIT
THAT ISLAND COUNTRY
BANGLADESH BARRIER
 IN
NEIGHBORING BANGLADESH,
WHICH HAD ONLY TWO DEATHS
FROM THE TSUNAMI, THERE IS A
SIMILAR NATURAL BARRIER.
 BILLIONS OF TONS OF
SEDIMENT CARRIED INTO THE
SEA BY THE COUNTRY'S
NUMEROUS RIVERS SLOWED THE
SEA SURGES BEFORE THEY HIT
THE COAST.
ARE THE WALLS BETTER FOR
SMALL ISLAND COUNTRIES?
IT SEEMS SO
 EVENTHOUGH
WARNING WAS
RECEIVED WHERE WILL THEY LEAVE?
 WHERE THEY WILL GO UNLESS THEY
HAVE SOME MAIN LAND NEARBY WHICH
WILL PERMIT THEM?
 THEY HAVE TO LEAVE ALL THEIR
PROPERTY AND COUNTRY?
 IN SMALL ISLANDS LIKE
ANDAMANS,NICOBAR, LAKSHDIVES,
MALDIVES WALLS ARE BETTER AS THEY
ARE SIMPLE TO CONSTRUCT
INDIGENEOUSLY AND CHEAPER THAN
POSSESSING WARNING SYSTEMS WHICH
THEY CANNOT AFFORD.

PACIFIC WARNING SYSTEMS AND
THEIR NARROW MINDEDNESS ?
The angry questions that hundreds of
thousands of family members of victims
are asking, especially in Sri Lanka and
India, are "what happened?"--and "why
did no one warn us before the tsunami
hit?" The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
had issued a tsunami bulletin and had
concluded that there was no danger for
the Pacific nations in its jurisdiction.
 Why didn't it extend its warning to South
and Southeast Asia? It is perhaps clear
with hindsight that an Indian Ocean
tsunami warning center should have been
in place, or that the Indian Ocean nations
should have requested coverage from the
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

INDIFFERENCE
 NASA
FAILED TO HELP BY PRIOR
INFORMATION
 SOULD
HAVE SAVED MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE
 WHY?
TSUNAMI POLITICS?
JOINT ACTION
 Indian
ocean scientists, disaster
managers, policy makers, and local
communities need to work
together toward the common goal
of creating tsunami-resistant
communities with access to
accurate, timely tsunami warnings.
 A tsunami warning center needs to
be established as soon as practical
in the region, and the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center should act
as an interim warning center.