New Delhi: It was on December 26, 2004 that a devastating tsunami was triggered by an giant earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. The resulting waves destroyed coastal areas across several countries. The tsunami killed around 230,000 people across a dozen countries. Over 1.7 million people were displaced, mostly in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Even though 20 years have gone by, the tragedy and grief of those affected is as fresh as yesterday. Each year, people gather to mourn the dead.
On Thursday, in Tamil Nadu, the eastern coastline, spanning from Chennai to Kanyakumari, which was particularly hard-hit, people gathered in the coastal districts to pay tributes to the victims. Silent processions were taken out and flowers offered to the sea.
Thai Buddhist monks prayed for victims of tsunami at Tsunami Memorial Park at Ban Nam Khem, Takuapa district of Phang Nga province, southern Thailand.
Indonesia’s Aceh province also marked 20 years since the massive tsunami. The people offered prayers and visited the mass graves. One of the biggest mass graves in Ulee Lheue village, where over 14,000 unidentified and unclaimed tsunami victims are laid to rest, witnessed teary homage by kin of the dead. Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s northernmost province, is one of the areas which was hit hardest by the earthquake and tsunami, along with the district of Aceh Besar. Survivors continue to mourn their loved ones, lost to the towering waves that flattened buildings across much of Aceh’s coastal areas.
How well-prepared are we now
Twenty years after the widespread destruction and loss of life, the Tamil Nadu is better equipped to handle any such calamity. There are swift early warning systems and evacuation plans in place today. The government began efforts to set up early warning systems in all coastal villages. Currently, there are 437 such systems in place, covering villages within a 3 km radius. Residents can now be sounded an alert directly from the disaster management department’s control room.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad operates a 24/7 warning centre that continuously monitors the Indian Ocean for seismic activity capable of triggering tsunamis. INCOIS sensors in the ocean can now issue alert within 10 minutes of a giant earthquake occurring in the ocean, according to a DT Next report, which cited an official.
In Aceh, the infrastructure is now much more resilient than before the tsunami. Early warning systems have been set up along the coast to alert residents of impending tsunamis, giving them valuable time to evacuate and seek safety, an AP report said.
Many international donors and organisations have helped in the rebuilding efforts. A number of schools, hospitals, and essential infrastructure has been reconstructed with more strength and durability, with better preparedness for future events.
