IIT Roorkee, NCDR Taiwan to co-establish early warning sensor network in Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) and the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan have signed an agreement with an aim to develop technology solutions to natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, floods, debris flow, and compound disasters.

The researchers aim to co-establish an early warning sensor network equipped with P-Alert sensors at selected locations in Uttarakhand.

An agreement was signed between IIT Roorkee and NCDR Taiwan today while the scientists and faculty members of NCDR, along with their Director Hongey Chen visited IIT-R, the official statement said.

The agreement also aims to develop scientific and academic cooperation and scientific research to promote relations and mutual understanding between NCDR and the Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management (CoEDMM) of IIT Roorkee.

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The signing ceremony was followed by a technical workshop on Earthquake Early Warning Systems (EEWS). India’s first Earthquake Early Warning System (EEWS), namely Uttarakhand Earthquake Early Warning System (UEEWS), is established at the IIT Roorkee. At present, the alert system is active only within Uttarakhand, India.

IIT Roorkee director KK Pant said that the EEWS should be extended to other regions within and outside India.

He further said: "Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an integral part of social and economic development, and this would be a lasting cooperation of IIT Roorkee with the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan in development of sustainable mitigation of natural hazards for the future. We recognize building resilient infrastructure and reaffirm the interrelationship between disaster risk reduction and sustainable development."

Hongey Chen, NCDR director, highlighted: "It is important to work in tandem with the South Asia Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (SAADRI), and we are thankful to IIT Roorkee in promoting disaster risk management and capacity-building programs by introducing advanced science and technology."