Pakistan joins regional Indian Ocean tsunami simulation drill

NSC Karachi issues 4 bulletins during exercise as coastal evacuation scenarios, early warning systems tested

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photo: express

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KARACHI:

A submarine earthquake and tsunami simulation exercise was conducted in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday, in which Pakistan participated through the Makran Subduction Zone, officials said.

The National Seismic Center (NSC) Karachi issued four detailed bulletins during the several-hours-long exercise, providing updates on simulated tsunami intensity, potential threats, wave heights, and expected impact on coastal areas of multiple countries.

Countries including Indonesia, Australia, India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and others took part in the exercise. Some participating countries conducted full-scale drills, including simulated evacuation of coastal populations under a hypothetical emergency scenario.

The 1945 Makran earthquake-triggered tsunami had claimed more than 4,000 lives along Pakistan's coastal belt.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Amjad Hider Laghari, Chief Meteorologist Karachi and Director National Seismic Center, said Pakistan's participation aimed to strengthen coordination with regional and international partners during extreme maritime events and to test the effectiveness of service provider equipment.

He said the exercise simulated a tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean and began at 11am on Wednesday. During the drill, tsunami wave intensity and propagation were monitored in a controlled environment at the NSC Karachi.

Laghari said the main objective of the exercise was to evaluate the tsunami early warning system and emergency communication mechanisms.

He said the Indian Ocean is the world's third-largest ocean, bordered by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, and Australia to the east, while Pakistan's coastline lies along its northern edge in the Arabian Sea.

Referring to historical events, he said the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by a powerful earthquake in Indonesia, killed around 230,000 people across 13 countries, underscoring the importance of such preparedness exercises.

He added that Pakistan has been participating in international tsunami drills since 2008 to improve coordination and minimize risks through timely warnings. He said participating service providers included Indonesia, Australia, India, Oman, the UAE, Yemen, and other countries.

Some countries, he added, conducted full-scale evacuation drills under simulated conditions involving coastal populations.

Laghari further said Pakistan's participation also helps assess the performance of technical equipment under real-time simulated scenarios in case of future emergencies.

According to the National Seismic Center, four bulletins were issued during the exercise: the first detailing earthquake magnitude, the second assessing tsunami risk, the third providing estimates of wave height and potential impact timelines across countries, and the fourth issuing an all-clear message.

Pakistan conducts two annual coastal evacuation drills as part of international preparedness exercises - one in Gwadar and another in the Keamari area of Karachi.

The Meteorological Department has also installed tsunami warning siren towers along the coast to ensure timely evacuation and minimise potential damage in case of any high sea wave emergency.