The Hindu : National : Report on Andamans topography by January 20

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005

National

National

Report on Andamans topography by January 20

By Our Special Correspondent

KOLKATA, JAN. 10. A report on the topography of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, following the tsunami havoc, will be submitted by the Survey of India to the Union Government on January 20. A team of surveyors reached Port Blair today for an assessment, the Surveyor General of India, P. Nag told The Hindu over telephone from Dehra Dun.

The team would head for the 20 control points set up across the islands and observe "the precise movement of earth and the angle of tilt, if any."

These points were set up about two years ago and it is not known how many of them exist. The team will spend 24 hours at each survey control point.

A ship of the National Hydrographic Office of the Navy, anchored in Jakarta, has been requisitioned for survey work in the Andamans. Dr. Nag will visit the region on January 15.

Satellite pictures

Satellite pictures of the islands had only indicated the extent of destruction and not the topographical changes, the Deputy Surveyor General of India, Brig. M. V. Bhat said.

The surveyors would be "mapping the land mass with the aid of an electronic measuring system to determine the latitude, longitude and height of the land, besides detailing changes in sea level and tidal measurements."

The data collected from the observation points would be collated and a total picture of the topography will emerge once a comparison is done with the previous charts compiled in the Geodetic and Research wing of the Survey of India, Brig. Bhat said.

A team from the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, will visit the islands to make sea measurements, determine the stability of waves and record the contours of the sea-bed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National