Saturday, January 8 2005 18:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: An increase in the mean sea level after the tsunami coupled with an impending danger of higher surges on new moon night on January 10 has put the Andaman and Nicobar islands on alert as hapless people face the threat of fresh inundations on the already ravaged land.

Though the administration is not pressing the panic button yet it is on alert following Met predictions of a 0.3 metre rise in the sea during January 10 and 12.

Officer-in-charge of the Command Met office Commander Salil Mehta today (Jan 7, 2005) said from January 10 to 12 the sea surge would be on a higher side from 8 PM to 10 PM on January 11 and 9 PM to 11 PM the following day.

"We have informed the administration and all measures to quell the fear of inundation are being taken," he said. Mehta said the mean sea level would go upto 2.49 on January 11 as opposed to 1.83 on Jan 6, 2005.

Lt Gov Ram Kapse had earlier informed a press meet here that the administration was gearing up for any fresh inundation. "However there is no need to panic as we have prior information of the possibility of surges. This is not like the tsunami which took us unaware," he said.

Andaman and Nicobar Development Commissioner Anshu Prakash told sources that tidal surges could add to the problem of increase in ground water level, navigation and sand deposition on a number of new beaches exposed by the tsunami.

To a question on whether the intensity of the aftershocks being felt in the islands would be a matter of concern Mehta said there was nothing to worry as the duration of these aftershocks were very insignificant.

"Though there had been more then 110 aftershocks since the tsunami hit the islands with the lowest being of the intensity of 5 in the Richter scale and the higher 6.3, this is nothing new for the islands" he said.

Has this happened in the main lands there would have been considerable damage. But the construction of the buildings in the islands makes them less prone to damage, he added.