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The Indian Space Research Organisation’s satellite images and communication systems have supported the rescue operations in the flood affected areas in Uttarakhand , said Chairman K. Radhakrishnan.
The agency has been taking pictures from June 17, the day the flood waters breached the danger mark, and transmitted them to the Union and State Governments, he told newspersons. ISRO’s Space Applications Centre sent 12 satellite phones and VSAT terminals to the flood affected areas in Uttarakhand. Around 1,000 phone calls were made with satellite phones, he said.
“Using the satellite available, using the bandwidth available and using the ground station, we could provide the communication immediately. This time, we were able to provide the images on June 17. We are in constant touch with the Uttarakhand Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority,” he said.
ISRO has an important role to play in disaster management. One is to immediately provide an emergency communication in the affected areas. Using the remote sensing images that it collects, the agency aims to give a clear picture of that area for relief work to commence immediately.
After the 2004 Tsunami, the agency got additional responsibility of improving the preparedness to face any major disaster. This is essentially means creation of database of various areas.
raja.simhan@thehindu.co.in
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