Indian surveys can help warn Mauritius of tsunamis

By Nita Bhalla

PORT LOUIS (Reuters) – New hydrographic surveys of
Mauritius’ territorial waters will help the tiny, vulnerable
island be better prepared for disasters such as tsunamis,
Indian hydrographers who completed the studies said.

Officers from the Indian Naval Survey ship, the Sarvekshak,
handed over charts and data to Mauritius on Monday which will
help the Indian Ocean island predict tsunami-vulnerable coastal
areas and evacuate people to higher areas.

In Dec 2004, the strongest earthquake in at least 40 years
triggered a tsunami that killed up to 232,000 people in a dozen
Indian Ocean nations and left more than 1 million homeless.

While Mauritius was unaffected due to its vast distance
from the epicenter of the earthquake, it has left the island’s
1.2 million people concerned about how it would cope should a
tsunami hit its shores.

“Tsunamis are a major threat to this region. If water rises
by whatever height, you need to know what areas are likely to
be affected. We are assisting in that,” Rear Admiral B.R. Rao,
India’s Chief hydrographer, told reporters.

“If you know vulnerable areas, then you will be able to
move people to higher areas — you are lucky to have mountains
here unlike in Maldives which is completely flat,” he said.

Rao said the surveys included data such as temperature,
water levels and sea floor topography — essential parameters
in both prediction and response to tsunamis.

Rao said the surveys would also help Mauritius proceed with
plans for oil exploration, and surveys of the Port Louis harbor
already showed that it could be extended further, increasing
shipping traffic and bringing in more revenue for the country.

The Sarvekshak covered an area of 640 sq km, but Rao said
India was ready to help Mauritius in extending the surveys to
the rest of its 1.8 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ).

The EEZ is a zone extending from a nation’s coast, which
gives it special rights over marine resources.