Sirens to alert people in case of earthquakes in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: IIT-Roorkee has developed a regional early warning system which will alert people in Uttarakhand in the event of an earthquake by sounding a siren.

A siren will scream after getting required signals from sensors to be put up in quake-sensitive areas across the state and alert people in case of earthquakes so they get enough time to reach safety, seismic scientist from IIT-R Ashok Kumar said in a presentation at a meeting of the Advisory Group Committee on disaster management chaired by Chief Secretary S Ramawamy.

84 sensors have already been installed in earthquake-prone areas of Uttarakhand out of a total of 1,100 sensors to be put up throughout the state, Mr Kumar said at the meeting.

After the installation of sensors is complete, sirens will begin to be installed in sensitive areas, an official release quoting him said.

A mobile app has also been developed which will alert users about a earthquake by producing a unique beeping sound.

In areas where there is no mobile connectivity, the early warning system will be connected with All India Radio.

An early warning system software has also been prepared, Mr Kumar said.