Emergency alert through mobile phones tested in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Many mobile users in Odisha received an ‘emergency alert’ from the department of telecommunication (DoT) on Wednesday.

The DoT in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) sent the ‘emergency alert’ messages through Cell Broadcasting System as part of a test to enhance emergency communication during disasters.

"This is a SAMPLE TESTING MESSAGE sent through Cell Broadcasting System by the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. Please ignore this message as no action is required from your end. This message has been sent to Test Pan-India Emergency Alert System being implemented by National Disaster Management Authority. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies," read the message sent by DoT. The messages were sent in both English and Odia languages.

Speaking to PTI, deputy director general (technical), Odisha circle, Pandey Vijaya Bhusan Prasad said, "Natural disasters claim a lot of lives in India annually. To save people, we have to inform them in advance so that they can move to a safer place. For this purpose, we have started the Cell Broadcasting System." The test run was conducted by all four telecom operators including BSNL, Jio, Airtel and Voda-Idea throughout Odisha.

"About 99.9 per cent of our telecom towers fired the messages. However, it missed some mobile handsets and a few towers. We will look into it," Pandey said.

The DDG said messages can be sent to a particular region or the entire state at one go. He added that subscribers will receive the message even if their phones are switched-off.

"We expect that the emergency alert system will be rolled out in next month," he added.

Common applications of cell broadcast include delivering emergency alerts such as severe weather warnings (e.g., tsunamis, flash floods, earthquakes, lightning), public safety messages, evacuation notices, and other critical information.