Mock drill to check tsunami preparedness in Guj, Maha on Sep 4

Several coastal areas of Maharashtra and Gujarat have been chosen for a mock drill to be held on September 4 to check the preparedness of people and response agencies in the event of a tsunami.

The mock drill is being conducted by the New Delhi-based National Disaster Management Authority and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, official releases from the two state governments said.

While the districts chosen in Maharashtra are Palghar, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Thane and Raigad, the sites of the drill in Gujarat would be Mandvi taluka of Kutch and Jodiya taluka of Jamnagar, the releases informed.

In Maharashtra, the drill will be conducted in Yedwan village of Palghar, Borli in Raigad, Pajpandri in Ratnagiri, Jamdul in Sindhudurg and Pali in Thane.

As per a Gujarat government release, during the exercise, the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) at INCOIS will provide simulated tsunami threat information to all coastal states of India and to other countries in the Indian Ocean region.

Various departments would have to act according to the tsunami warning bulletins issued by INCOIS during this exercise in order to increase their effectiveness in decision making for the specific set of emergencies, it added.

"Two villages, each from Mandvi taluka of Kutch and Jodiya taluka of Jamnagar, have been identified as the targeted area. Around 1,700 people from these villages will be evacuated to safer places as part of mock exercise," said the Gujarat government release.

Officials said the drill would test the preparedness of state agencies in readiness and coordination in the event of such a natural disaster.

Gujarat has the longest coastline among Indian states stretching over 1,200 kilometres.