Thursday, October 6 2005 16:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: An Early Warning Center to provide timely information on oceanic disasters like tsunami will be set up in Hyderabad by September 2007.

A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today (Oct 6, 2005) approved setting up an Early Warning System for mitigation of oceanogenic disasters like tsunami and storm surges in the Indian Ocean, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in New Delhi.

Estimated to cost Rs 125 crore, the center, to be set up at Hyderabad Indian National Ocean Information Services, would disseminate information to coastal habitations within 100 km radius within five minutes, which is the international benchmark of such systems prevailing in Japan and Chile.

After becoming operational by September 2007, the Early Warning Center, which would function round-the-clock, would enable issuance of timely and reliable warning, Chidambaram said.

It would issue watch advisories on tsunami, estimated arrival times, forecast of its strength, surge heights, extent of inundation and warning cancellation.

The Minister said the equipment; manpower and other related heads of expenditure have been provided to four institutions and Government departments, including Department of Ocean Development and National Institute of Ocean Technology.