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SMS-based warning

Paromita Pain

A Sri Lankan initiative in disaster mitigation

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Ministry of Public Security, Law and Order has developed a software that can be downloaded into mobile phones to enable disaster warnings to be transmitted via SMS (short messaging service) in three languages — Sinhala, Tamil and English. This initiative has a special resonance in the island-nation that bore the brunt of the Asian tsunami.

Janaka Mudalige, Director (Information Technology), said in a presentation at a workshop on `Awareness Raising in Disaster Management', organised jointly by the National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka and UNESCO: "In these technology driven times, we thought we should aim at using every available chance that we have to safeguard people. This will work in mobile phones to send and receive special messages in an emergency situation."

The emergency messages can be sent from a 24-hour call centre set up by the government. It will have a three-digit number, which will be toll-free. The messages are encrypted and only the authorised centre can send them. This is a safety feature.

The system will be targeted at all mobile phone users, although it is not available now with the networks. All GPRS mobiles can access it. Testing on CDMA lines is on.

Mr. Mudalige said: "We are planning to offer it in two ways — through GPRS from the phone itself and through the service centres. Cell phone networks cover every part of the country and cell phone usage is evenly distributed at all levels. So we can cover the entire country within seconds. All operators have been informed about this and are waiting for us to give it to them."

The direct cost amounted to Sri Lankan Rupees 750,000 (Rs. 324,660) while other expenses came to SLR 500,000 (Rs. 216,440).

In the rural areas, community level government officers such as grama sevaks and heads of villages are encouraged to install the software so that they can lead others to safety.

The software will be made available free of cost to the governments of different countries, especially those in the region.

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