IOWave 18 – a programme by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission – will be held across India and other countries in the Indian Ocean region, on September 4 and 5. The exercise will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put in a tsunami warning situation and require the national and/or local disaster management offices in each country to activate their standard operating procedures (SOPs). 

The primary motive for this is to enhance tsunami preparedness at the community level. To achieve this, Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has identified coastal areas in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, to conduct the tsunami drill on September 5. 

Earlier, a meeting was held on September 3, at the office of Commissioner of Revenue Administration, attended by officials from the Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Coastal Security Guard, Greater Chennai Corporation and officials from other departments. 

In this drill, the newly-developed guidelines for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Ready (IOTR) Programme – a community tsunami preparedness programme with active collaboration from public, community leaders and national and local emergency management agencies – will be piloted in coastal communities in the Indian Ocean region.