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‘Next-generation system’: To strengthen tsunami monitoring, Andaman and Nicobar to get regional service centre

February 09, 2026 5 min read Science & Technology Geography GS Paper 1 GS Paper 3
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What Happened

  • India plans to establish a Rs 300-crore Regional Service Centre (RSC) at Vijaynagar on Swaraj Dweep in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to strengthen tsunami monitoring and early warning capabilities.
  • The next-generation system will detect both seismic and non-seismic tsunamis, addressing a major limitation of the existing system which primarily monitors earthquake-triggered tsunamis despite approximately one-fifth of global tsunamis being caused by non-seismic events such as submarine landslides and volcanic activity.
  • The project includes laying approximately 270 km of subsea cables along tectonic subduction zones, enabling faster acoustic signal detection and reducing data gaps caused by damaged surface buoys and satellite communication limitations.
  • The RSC will also provide tsunami warning services to Indian Ocean countries, including Sri Lanka, expanding India's role as a regional service provider.
  • The initiative is led by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), which operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).

Static Topic Bridges

Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS)

India established its tsunami early warning system in the aftermath of the devastating 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which was triggered by a magnitude 9.1-9.3 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. The disaster killed over 230,000 people across 14 countries, including approximately 10,749 in India, with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands bearing the most severe impact.

  • The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) was set up in 2007 at INCOIS, Hyderabad, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It provides 24/7 monitoring and warning services for tsunamis, storm surges, and high waves along India's 7,516 km coastline.
  • The system uses a network of seismographic stations, bottom pressure recorders (BPRs) on the ocean floor, tide gauges along the coast, and INSAT satellite-based communication for real-time data transmission and warning dissemination.
  • The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO designated ITEWC as a Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP) for the Indian Ocean Rim countries, giving it responsibility for issuing tsunami advisories to 28 nations.
  • India's UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Programme has been recognising coastal communities that have achieved specific preparedness benchmarks, making them "Tsunami Ready" certified.

Connection to this news: The proposed Rs 300-crore RSC at Andaman and Nicobar represents a generational upgrade to the ITEWS, specifically addressing the limitation that the current system cannot detect non-seismic tsunamis caused by submarine landslides or volcanic eruptions, which account for roughly 20% of global tsunami events.

INCOIS: India's Ocean Information Hub

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), headquartered at Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad. It was established on 8 February 1999 and is mandated to provide ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community.

  • INCOIS provides four major service categories: Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories for fishermen, Tsunami Early Warning System (TEWS), Ocean State Forecast (OSF), and observations through the Ocean Observation Group (OOG).
  • It operates the SAMUDRA mobile application (upgraded to SAMUDRA 2.0 in February 2026) providing multilingual ocean advisories to fishermen, including PFZ, tuna advisories, and small vessel alerts.
  • INCOIS also operates SIVAS (Swell-Surge Inundation Vulnerability Advisory System), an early warning service for swell-surge flooding events, and JellyAIIP (Jellyfish Aggregation Information Interactive Portal).
  • UNESCO recognised INCOIS for excellence in tsunami and ocean hazard early warning systems, cementing its status as a regional leader in ocean information services.

Connection to this news: The new Regional Service Centre at Andaman and Nicobar will function as a forward operating base for INCOIS, placing monitoring infrastructure closer to the seismically active subduction zone where the Indo-Australian plate is subducting beneath the Burma plate, reducing detection and warning times.

Disaster Management Framework in India

India's disaster management institutional architecture was substantially reformed after the 2004 tsunami. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, established a three-tier structure: the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) chaired by the Prime Minister, State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs).

  • NDMA formulated Tsunami Risk Management Guidelines outlining inter-agency roles, risk preparedness, mitigation, and response strategies.
  • The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was constituted under the DM Act, 2005, as a specialised force for disaster response.
  • India's disaster preparedness aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Sendai Framework sets seven global targets and four priorities: understanding disaster risk, strengthening governance, investing in resilience, and enhancing preparedness for effective response.
  • The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located along the boundary of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, making them highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. The 2004 earthquake epicentre was near Simeulue Island, approximately 160 km west of Sumatra, but the resulting tsunami devastated the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Connection to this news: The new RSC directly addresses the Sendai Framework priority of investing in disaster risk reduction by upgrading detection capability for non-seismic tsunamis, a gap that existing infrastructure does not cover, particularly important for the seismically active Andaman and Nicobar region.

Key Facts & Data

  • Proposed RSC cost: Rs 300 crore
  • Location: Vijaynagar, Swaraj Dweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Subsea cable length: approximately 270 km along tectonic subduction zones
  • Current gap: existing system primarily detects seismic tsunamis; approximately 20% of global tsunamis are non-seismic (submarine landslides, volcanic activity)
  • ITEWC established: 2007, at INCOIS, Hyderabad
  • INCOIS established: 8 February 1999, under Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • ITEWC designated as Regional Tsunami Service Provider by UNESCO-IOC, covering 28 Indian Ocean Rim nations
  • 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: magnitude 9.1-9.3 earthquake, over 230,000 deaths across 14 countries, approximately 10,749 deaths in India
  • India's coastline: approximately 7,516 km
  • Disaster Management Act: 2005; NDMA chaired by the Prime Minister
  • Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: 2015-2030