ASDMA launches urban early flood warning system

The atlas has been developed under the project PREPARE, under phase-2 of the Norwegian Framework Agreement between TERI and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the virtual event, TERI also launched the Flood Early Warning System for predicting urban floods for Jorhat city (FEWS-J) in Assam like earlier in Guwahati city on 13th August 2020. Replicable for any part of India, the FEWS-J tool provides a warning with a lead time of 72 hours about flash floods or heavy rainfall.

Delivering the keynote address, Jishnu Baruah, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, said, "Science-based tools such as TERI Climate Tool (TCT) and Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS), backed by robust scientific knowledge, are necessary to mainstream robust climate information, early warning and risk reduction services into policy and decision-making".

"Assam faced three waves of floods this year which impacted 30 districts. ICT enabled tools are essential for the mitigation of risks and to expand the regional disaster risk reduction efforts of various cities in Assam, including Guwahati and Jorhat, located at the banks of the Brahmaputra River," the secretary added.

In her special address, Camilla Dannevig, Counsellor Corporation, Embassy of Norway to India, said, "Norway highly prioritises the cooperation with India on environmental issues and climate change. Norwegian scientists and companies have cutting-edge knowledge and experience in the areas of environmental management and technology. Cooperation with India offers considerable opportunities for Norwegian actors, who can assist India in addressing the climate challenge."

M S Manivannan, Chief Executive Officer, Assam State Disaster Management Authority, said, "There is a need to strengthen community-level response systems in urban areas of Assam. The IMD tool and TERI tools can be used effectively together to help us address issues of flooding in Assam," a press release said.