GUWAHATI: The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) is set to implement the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) launched by the central government across the northeastern state in the near future.ASDMA said the public warning system, developed by C-DOT under the Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs, will be used to minimise potential damage from natural or even manmade calamities.The warning system is designed to enable authorities to send instant, geo-targeted emergency alerts directly to all mobile phones in a specific area in a timely manner, irrespective of whether the recipients are residents or visitors.The CBS has already proven effective during a nationwide test conducted in May.“However, in the states including Assam wherein, Model Code of Conduct was in force, the test was excluded. Hence now, the Government of Assam is planning to implement the activity across the state as instructed by the Government of India,” ASDMA said in a statement.The system is designed so that a pop-up message will appear on mobile phones. These will be official messages issued by authorities during emergencies. ASDMA said the alerts may relate to situations such as extreme weather conditions including storms, heavy rain, lightning, cyclones, floods and flash floods, or other disasters such as gas leaks.The alert would appear as a pop-up message on a person’s mobile phone, accompanied by a distinctive loud tone and vibration. On supported handsets, the message would also be read aloud.“During the implementation of the said CBS, the citizens may receive emergency alerts on their mobile devices pertaining to disasters. The CBS alerts are highly sensitive, which trigger a loud audio alarm/notification on mobile handsets for approximately 30 seconds whenever received,” the ASDMA said.“The CBS system is far more reliable than traditional SMS alerts. It works even during network congestion, reaches all mobile users in the targeted area, including roaming users. It supports messages in multiple languages and is functional across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks,” the ASDMA said.(With agency inputs)
