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The tsunami disaster that has engulfed nearly 25,000 lives in south Asia, was triggered by the world’s biggest earthquake in four decades, epicentred near Indonesia. Several countries in the region are severely struck by it. These include India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Somalia and Bangladesh.
Tsunami
Tsunami, in Japanese means ‘tidal waves’ and pronounced as "Su –nam – ee. The tidal waves that played havoc this weekend, spread west and north across the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean with a magnitude of 8.9, one of the most powerful in history — off the Indonesian island of Sumatra devastated southern Asia and triggered waves of up to 30 feet high.
These waves are usually caused by seismic disturbances - coastal earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or undersea landslides that shake the ocean floor. A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of waves that can travel across the ocean at speed of more than 800 km (500 miles) an hour. In the deep ocean, hundreds of miles (km) can separate wave crests, many people have lost their lives during tsunamis after returning home thinking the waves had stopped. The weekend’s tsunami was triggered by ten earthquakes – four in Sumatra and six in Nicobar.
Tsunami, however, is a known phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean region stretching from Chile in Latin America to Japan in far east Asia. Japan is one of the two Asian countries - the other being Indonesia - which has been frequently hit by tsunamis. According to Arun Bapat a Pune-based research seismologist "a few major tsunamis have hit the Indian coastal region. The first available record is from the Madras Port Trust. The eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in August 1883 had its impact on the region. Eearthquakes on January 4, 1907, in Indonesia and on June 26, 1941, in the Andamans, also gave rise to tsunamis. An earthquake on November 27, 1945, located about 100 km south of Karachi in the Arabian Sea, also generated a tsunami". Therefore, tsunami is not new to India.
According to experts, the earthquake-driven tidal waves that devastated coastlines from Asia to Africa registered in the Pacific Ocean as far away as the United States and the coast of South America. "We recorded tsunami waves along the coast of South America, on the coast of American Samoa, in Fiji, even Mexico, and the west coast of the United States. It is probably the first multi-ocean tsunami since Krakatoa"," said the geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre on Oahu.
The international tsunami warning centre issued a tsunami warning bulletin over the weekend and tried to warn the countries in the path of the tidal waves, but lacked the right contact numbers as there is no tsunami warning centre for the Indian Ocean. None of the countries most severely affected - including India, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka - had a tsunami warning mechanism or tidal gauges to alert people to the wall of water that followed a massive earthquake, said Waverly Person of the USGS National Earthquake Information Centre.The United Nations has also warned of epidemics within days unless health systems in southern Asia can cope.
As large tsunamis, or seismic sea waves, are extremely rare in the Indian Ocean, people were never taught to flee inland after they felt the tremors of an earthquake. In the wake of the disaster, the country has decided to install recording system in the Indian Ocean floor to get warnings of tsunamis and join a global network of countries exchanging information on underseaquakes.
Relief and Aid
Aid agencies round the world have rushed staff, equipment and money to southern Asia after tsunami struck the coastal communities in at least six countries on Sunday. "The longer term effects may be as devastating as .... the tsunami itself," said UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator. The European Union would also send an initial 3 million euros ($4.06 million) to help the victims. Indian Government has already sent immediate aid in terms of money, medicine, doctors, aircrafts and naval vessels to Sri Lanka and other affected countries.
On national level, the Central Government has announced to provide Rs. 500 crore from the National Calamity Fund for immediate relief to the tsunami-affected southern States and the Union Territory of Pondicherry. The Finance Minister has made an appeal to the people on behalf of the Cabinet to contribute generously – in cash and in kind to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the victims. All members of the Union Council of Ministers would donate one month’s salary towards PMNRF. Similarly, all Central Government employees and those working in Central Public Undertakings/autonomous bodies have been exhorted to donate one day’s salary towards the PMNRF. The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs. One lakh from PMNRF to the next of the kin of each deceased in the calamity.
The donations can be made by cheque or draft in the name of "The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund" and sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, South Block, New Delhi-110001. As per directions the nationalized banks are not to charge any commission on preparation of drafts favouring the PMNRF. Contributions can also be made directly to the branches of the State Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Dena Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Indian Bank, Allahabad Bank and Citi Bank. Contributions can also be sent through Money Orders with no commission chargeable. Contributions to the PMNRF have been notified for 100 per cent deduction from taxable income under section 80 (G) of the Income Tax Act.
The Ministry of Finance has asked the Insurance Companies for provision for immediate relief to victims and their families in the affected regions. Accordingly, the Life Insurance Corporation has set up special cells in the concerned zones for immediate settlement of claims. Similarly, non-life insurance companies like New Indian Assurance Company, National Insurance Company, United India Insurance Company and Oriental Insurance Company are also making arrangements for urgent help to the affected persons/families. A Task Force has been set up under the Deputy Governor, RBI, Shri V. Leeladhar, to monitor relief measures.
A Control Room is working round the clock in the Home Ministry to monitor relief and rehabilitation measures. The telephone numbers of the Control Room are 23092923, 23093054, 23092885 and 23092763.
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