Indian State Introduces Unique Earthquake Early-Warning System

A new earthquake detection system which can sound an alarm 30 seconds in advance of actual tremors was tested and adopted in the north Indian state of Haryana, which is considered to be extremely vulnerable to quakes.

The Early Earthquake Warning and Security System, developed by the German company Secty Electronics, was set up at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration in Gurugram on Monday. The system was launched in India as a result of a joint venture with New Delhi-based Terra Techcom.

The state's Minister of Finance, Captain Abhimanyu Sindhu, inaugurated the first-of-its-kind system and presented a live demonstration of the technology by creating artificial earthquake waves on a table. The managing directors of Secty Electronics and Terra Techcom were present for the occasion.

FM @CaptAbhimanyu Inaugurated 'Advanced Earthquake Warning and Management System' at HIPA, Gurugram (Gurgaon) today. pic.twitter.com/irF2OBH9p6

— FMO Haryana (@fmohry) 18 июля 2016 г.

​"The system proposed by us is complete and the only system in the world for early earthquake warning, along with all-in-one security features, which include a building management system," said Terra Techcom's managing director Bijender Goel in a statement.

The company claims that the technology, which was installed on the foundation pillars of a building, is capable of releasing an early warning before a high-intensity earthquake strikes. In the event of an earthquake, even a few seconds is enough for people in the affected area to find a safer place, thus, the system can save a lot of lives. It is activated automatically, and is programmed shut off elevators, electricity, the gas supply and the water supply; it also opens emergency gates and warns people of an earthquake by sounding an alarm, according to the statement. It also has the ability to calculate the intensity of the earthquake.

The most immediate warning time the system issued was 30 seconds in Chile in 2010. The device is working successfully in 26 countries, and has not created any false alarms since its first installation in 2006.