India Implements Earthquake Early Warning System in Himalayan Region

India, like any other country, does not have scientifically proven earthquake prediction technology, but it does have seismic monitoring networks and regional earthquake early warning (EEW) systems in the Himalayan region that can provide a few seconds of advance notice just after an earthquake starts.

The most successful efforts in extending EEW have been made by the IIT Roorkee in collaboration with the Uttarakhand govt to develop a cutting-edge earthquake early warning app, BhuDEV, which leverages technology to ensure the safety and resilience of residents in the face of seismic threats.

“A real-time seismic network dedicated to EEW has been initiated across the Himalayan region ... Concurrently, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) is actively developing and testing prototype EEW algorithms for reliable P-wave detection, rapid magnitude estimation and early shaking prediction, using regional data sets,” govt had told Parliament in Dec.

When a quake occurs, it produces P-waves (primary waves), which travel fastest and usually cause less damage. An EEW system detects the first P-waves near the epicentre and sends alerts to locations farther off before the stronger waves arrive, giving a few precious seconds to authorities and citizens to quickly act and press emergency alarm.

The available warning time, however, depends on the distance of a place from the epicentre. It means little or no warning near the epicentre but allows a margin of a few seconds if the distance is hundreds or thousands of kilometres.

In India, sensor networks are primarily installed in Garhwal and Kumaon regions. The sensors are placed close to active fault zones. When these sensors detect P-waves, alerts can be sent to downstream cities before stronger tremors arrive. Japan, Taiwan and the US have some of the most advanced EEW systems.