Pakistan will join over 20 other countries around the Indian Ocean Rim as a participant in mock tsunami scenarios on 7th and 8th September 2016. Pakistan will exercise the Makran Trench scenario on 8th September 2016. The purpose of this Indian Ocean-wide exercise is to increase preparedness, evaluate response capabilities in each country and improve coordination throughout the region.
The aim is to exercise all levels of the tsunami warning and response chain, with a primary focus on the local coastal community level. "The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and subsequent events in the Indian and Pacific Oceans have brought to the attention of the world the urgent need to be more prepared for such events," said Abdul Rashid, Chief Meteorologist. "This important exercise will test the current procedures of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses in each country."
The exercise, titled Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 2016 (IOWave16), will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put into a tsunami warning situation requiring government decision-making. It builds on previous Indian Ocean exercise conducted in 2009 (IOWave09) and 2011 (IOWave11) and 2014 (IOWave14).
During the exercise the three Tsunami Service Providers (TSPs) of Australia, India and Indonesia will provide simulated tsunami threat information to all National Tsunami Warning Centres (NTWCs) in the Indian Ocean region. Each NTWC will then evaluate the information and formulate test national tsunami warnings, which will be disseminated to the disaster response agencies and coastal communities participating in the exercise. Due care will be taken to ensure the public is not inadvertently alarmed.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority Sindh (PDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority Balochistan (PDMA), Commissioner Karachi, Deputy Commissioners (Badin, Thatta, Gwadar and Lasbela), Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, Karachi Port Trust and Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), Trust for Conservation of Coastal Resources (TCCR), Oxfam GB, print and electronic media are the participating agencies. Following the exercise, a review and evaluation will be conducted by all participating Countries and agencies.-PR