'Tsunami can hit Mumbai anytime'

Indian scientists warned Mumbai and Orissa coasts could be hit by tsunami.

The Consortium of Indian Scientists (CIS) on Sunday cautioned the Centre that coasts of Mumbai and Orissa could be hit by tsunami anytime in the near future and disaster management cell should be in place to tackle the potential threat.

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The Consortium, which had prepared a map taking the data from various sources including World Meteorological Department and other seismic centres in India, warned a possible tsunami due to undersea earthquakes in the south Asian region.

The map also showed a milder version of tsunami in the Arabian sea region, Convenor and Secretary General of the CIS, PD Bhatnagar said at the plenary session on "Disaster Management and Rehabilitation: the role of overseas Indians", at the third Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations.

"We are not predicting but cautioning the government as there are 200 inter-dependent factors involved in construction of this map. Therefore, the Indian scientists should focus on studies on various parameters in depth to combat any unforeseen disaster," Bhatnagar, who is also a consultant for National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), said.

He also suggested the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to take this data seriously and evolve scientific investigations accordingly.