The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Unfortunate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 29, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Unfortunate

Sir, — India has achieved substantially in the field of space, information and communication technology. Ironically, none of these helped in alleviating, if not avoiding, the colossal loss caused by the killer tsunami across the country. It is also unfortunate that the experience of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the disaster struck much before it did the mainland, could not provide any clue to the impending disaster along the east coast.

E. Ramesh,
Chennai

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Sir, — According to reports, the toll would have been less if India and Sri Lanka had been part of an international warning system. Hope India has learnt its lesson and will join the tsunami warning system. It should not be put off by cost considerations.

R. Ganesan,
South Grafton, Massachusetts

* * *

Sir, — It is sad to note that a timely warning of the tsunami strike, a technological possibility, was not available to India in its hour of need.

N. Alma,
Pondicherry

* * *

Sir, — It is imperative that we learn a lesson and make sure the effects of such a tragedy are not so disastrous in future.

Gautam Jangpangi,
Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

Sir, — The move to include India in the tsunami warning system is a good one. With Chennai too coming under the danger zone of earthquakes, adequate steps need to taken.

Aravind Rajesh,
Tiruvannamalai, T.N.

* * *

Sir, — The global warming campaign has already warned that there will be a slow and gradual rise in the sea level. The coastal ecosystem will undergo changes, with more areas coming under brackish water submergence due to inundation along the coast. Are the managers of our ecosystem listening?

R. Sridhar,
Chennai

* * *

Sir, — Tsunami is Japanese for "harbour wave" (Tsu-harbour; nami-wave). Katsushika Hokusai's painting, Great Wave, is a perfect work that portrays the sheer ferocity of a tsunami. Tsunamis come unannounced, overtake unsuspecting victims and leave them battered. Because they travel so quickly and are undetectable, accurate forecasts are difficult. India should open up a disaster prevention zone and promote studies in earth science, oceanography and ecology.

Vidhya Shankar,
Madurai, T.N.

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Sir, — When a quake hit Indonesia in 1995, I was in Yokohama. Tsunami warnings were continuously issued on Japanese television and safe locations identified in each area. The effects were televised as the tsunami hit port after port on the Japanese coast. The beaches were cleared and warnings exchanged from Hawaii across the Pacific. There were very few casualties.

Earthquakes are unpredictable but tsunami gives notice through a quake. The scale of Sunday's tragedy would have certainly been less had the two hours between the time the quake struck Sumatra and the tsunami hit the east coast of India been used to issue some kind of warning.

S. Rangarajan,
Chennai

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