Scientists demanded warning system two years ago

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LEADING scientists have spent the past two years lobbying the United Nations for a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. The governments of Indonesia and Australia, worried about a series of smaller earthquakes off Java, felt the region needed a tidal wave warning system similar to that used in the Pacific.

The two tectonic plates which caused the earthquake near Sumatra on Boxing Day had crunched together in 1797, 1833 and 1861, and scientists knew another catastrophic event was inevitable.
Dr Phil Cummins, of Australia’s Geoscience Agency, pushed the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to accept a system was needed for the Indian Ocean. But last week’s tsunami struck before he could present his case.

Cummins told Scotland on Sunday last night he thought it would have taken years to get approval from Unesco and other governments in the region. But while the bureaucratic process was lengthy, he said he had not believed a tsunami threat was imminent.

Unesco oversees the International Coordinating Group for Tsunami Warning Systems in the Pacific, known as ITSU, but the group has no remit to operate in the Indian Ocean. Both Australia and Indonesia felt a warning system was needed for the region and wanted to convince Unesco it should let ITSU operate in the Indian Ocean as well.

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