GUWAHATI: The Assam State Disaster Management Authority on Thursday said it will implement the cell broadcast system, a public warning mechanism launched by the central government, across the northeastern state in the coming days.
Developed by C-DOT under the supervision of the Department of Communications in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority and the Department of Home Affairs, this system enables authorities to send instant, geo-tagged emergency alerts directly to all cell phones in a given area.
The basic parity system has been made available for implementation across India, including Assam, and a nationwide test was conducted in May. The system has already proven its effectiveness during real disasters in several states.
“However, in states including Assam where the Model Code of Conduct was in force, testing has been ruled out. Hence, the Assam government is now planning to implement the activity across the state as per the instructions of the Government of India,” ASDMA said in a statement.
CBS involves disseminating important, time-sensitive messages about impending disasters to all mobile devices within a given geographic area, regardless of whether the recipients are residents or visitors.
“During the implementation of the said CBS system, citizens may receive emergency alerts on their mobile devices related to disasters. CBS alerts are highly sensitive, resulting in loud alarm/audio notification being triggered on mobile phones for approximately 30 seconds whenever they are received,” the ASDMA said.
She added that these alerts are official messages issued only by approved government agencies during real emergencies such as severe weather conditions such as storms, heavy rain, lightning, hurricanes, floods, flash floods or other disasters such as gas leaks.
The alert will appear as a pop-up message on the person’s mobile phone accompanied by a distinctive loud tone and vibration. On supported phones, the message will also be read aloud.
“The CBS system is much more reliable than traditional SMS alerts. It works even during network congestion, reaching all mobile users in the target area, including roaming users. It supports messaging in multiple languages and works across 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks,” ASDMA said.
She added that citizens are also requested to share information with family members, especially the elderly and those living in remote areas.
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