The Hindu Business Line : e-WAR: Canadian tech option to fight terror

Mumbai, Nov. 29 A major technology-backed breakthrough may be in the offing to fight the scourge of terrorism that is assuming monstrous proportions on a global scale, especially in our country. It is known that scientists are constantly engaged in evolving innovative systems using technology as a tool for warning of an impending emergency and enabling advance response.

In what could be one of the firsts in such a cutting-edge research, a team of researchers under leadership of the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada is designing an Emergency Warning Advance Response system.

Called e-WAR, the project is intended to ensure safety, security and disaster management through event detection and containment action. The e-WAR lead researcher Dr Janusz A. Kozinski, Dean and Professor, College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, who spoke at length with Business Line during his recent rip to Mumbai as part of a Canadian delegation of educationists seeking tie-ups with Indian institutions, asserted that the research, a multi-dimensional initiative, has the potential to address the threat of terror to public places like buildings in the first instance. Recent terrorist criminal attacks with biological and chemical agents on civilian populations have established these threats on par with explosives.

Government offices, business towers and shopping malls – indeed any structure where people flock in large numbers for work, shopping or entertainment – are these days ready and soft target for terror acts; and instead of exploding a device, there could be silent but more potent ways of destruction such as releasing biological and chemical agents through the ventilation system for instance. Explaining the rationale for the research, Dr Kozinski said, “Although primary prevention by interrupting attacks on buildings prior to their deployment is most desirable, there remains clearly a role for engineering-based prevention that is focussed on reducing exposure to any offending agents particularly in the case of criminal acts”.

“The role of the proposed independent e-WAR solution would be to reduce the impact of such agents and any dangerous consequences via providing early warning and mitigating such events", he added. Terming neutralisation of biological and chemical agents at the quickest possible response time as the key to the utility and success of the project, Dr. Kozinski pointed out that the task will focus on experiments reflecting four principles of e-WAR: detection, identification, quantification and neutralisation. The lead researcher, who has been involved in multi-disciplinary research throughout his illustrious career with expertise in study of hazardous substances behaviour, believes that due to increasing legislative pressures, stakeholders are considering novel approaches to fighting terror. As a large country constantly subjected to acts of terrorism from time to time, it may be time for India to seriously consider technological options to fight terror.

India should not only partake of the research efforts such as e-WAR, but also proactively work with international experts to address country-specific and time-specific threat perceptions. The country is already known as a soft target. Come 2010, New Delhi will host the Asian Games with massive international participation of some of the best in the field. We need to recognise that the context would provide a fertile ground for terror related activities. In addition to threatening buildings and their ventilation systems, the chemical and biological warfare can potentially pose serious hazards to the food supply system, contamination of water source and so on.

When queries about how India should respond to newer threat perceptions, Dr Kozinski said it would be an exciting prospect for him to work on challenges faced by India and that Canadian expertise in e-WAR may prove to be just the right solution.

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e-WAR: Canadian tech option to fight terror

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