Citizens receive emergency alerts for disaster warning
New Delhi, May 30
Indian citizens across the Delhi NCR region received an emergency alert accompanied by a loud beep sound on their phones on Saturday for a disaster warning.
The alerts were sent for the second time and appeared as flash messages on mobile devices along with a high-decibel warning tone.
Earlier in May, officials had said the alerts are part of routine testing being carried out by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to assess the effectiveness and reliability of the emergency communication mechanism ahead of wider operational deployment.
The messages informed users that the alerts were part of a test exercise and that no action was required.
The Cell Broadcast Alert System has been developed to deliver disaster-related warnings, emergency notifications and public safety messages directly to mobile phones in real time during situations such as earthquakes, tsunamis, lightning strikes, floods and other emergencies.
The alerts are transmitted through the indigenous integrated alert system 'SACHET', developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and are based on internationally accepted Common Alerting Protocol standards.
The testing follows the launch of the 'Cell Broadcast Alert System' earlier this month by Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The system was developed with the support of the NDMA under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The government launched the Cell Broadcast Alert System to strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure faster dissemination of emergency information to citizens.
Officials said such periodic testing exercises are being conducted to evaluate network readiness and ensure seamless delivery of emergency alerts across different mobile networks and handsets.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, a real-time alert system for floods and earthquakes! After the Uttarakhand disaster, this is much needed. Hope it works on all budget phones too. Keep testing NDMA! 👍
Jab tak phone pe alert aayega, tsunami aa jayega. But jokes apart, good step. At least we have some system now. Hope they integrate with local sirens too.
As someone who survived the 2015 Nepal earthquake, I welcome this system. But please ensure coverage in rural areas and languages other than Hindi. SACHET must be inclusive.
The beep was loud but necessary. Better than no warning during cyclone or flood. Kudos to NDMA and C-DOT for indigenous tech. 'Atmanirbhar' in disaster management! 🇮🇳
I appreciate the effort, but the alert came on my phone while I was driving. Nearly had an accident. They should make it silent or use vibration only for test messages. Safety first!
This is what we needed after the Chennai floods. Real-time alerts can save lives. Just hope they don't misuse it for political messages like some states do with SMS. NDMA must remain neutral.
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