**3.3. Pilot coastal communities (field survey)**

However, it must be noted that because media is more interested in "big news" than in disseminating an early warning, which results in panic. The media, therefore, lacks under‐

The district government acts as an emergency responder despite having limited resources to mobilize like vehicles, phones, and faxes that are used to relay information. For remote areas that lack phone and fax services, representatives are sent via vehicles and boats to convey the early warning. District government declares the situation as an "emergency" for provincial and federal help if the response is beyond the available resources in the districts. However, assessment of the situation and declaration of emergency takes time; at least 24 h. This can be acceptable in case of a cyclone warning (if received 2 or 3 days earlier); however, for local tsunami, the lead time can be less than 30 min for some coastal areas, which is not manageable

Although equipped for immediate relief and emergency response, the armed forces and security agencies do not have an SOP for the dissemination of early warning. However, they do have the means (satellite phones, HF/VHF, etc.) to ensure effective communication to those most at risk. There are some areas in the creek where the access is limited with boats and no direct HF/VHF system setup is available in such settlement. Again the cyclone warning and required evacuation can be managed; however, for local tsunami, it seems difficult to inform the people timely and manage evacuation unless there is a direct mass notification system

There is need to map presence of all these agencies near remote agencies and to develop SOPs that define roles and responsibilities among agencies based on their existing resources.

NGOs with local presence such as Plan International Pakistan, HANDS Pakistan, International Red Cross (IRC), and many others, collaborate with international NGO coordination groups such as United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affair and government during disasters until the first phase of recovery. Previous disaster risk management (DRM) and contingency plans (developed for few districts) from 2008 to 2013 show allocation of functions for different line‐departments and areas of coordination with NGOs and INGOs [6]. Local NGOs have developed a great network and deep roots in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. These NGOs have all the required local knowledge and access to remote areas; however, such organizations are based on donors funding that usually comes in post disaster situation. Potential of these local organizations can be utilized through mapping and devising

SoPs for early warning dissemination to the coastal communities at risk.

standing and training on handling such information in a more appropriate manner.

*3.2.2. Police and security agencies (army, navy, coast guards, marine security agency)*

**3.2. Emergency responders**

by any of the six coastal district administrations.

installed at each such vulnerable community.

*3.2.3. Nongovernment organizations*

*3.2.1. District government*

144 Tsunami

Tsunamis of nearby origin, which account for most tsunami fatalities worldwide pose the greatest tsunami hazard on Arabian Sea shores. The nearby source is the Makran subduction zone (MSZ), an active boundary between converging tectonic plates that descends northward beneath Iran and Pakistan. Earth scientists have recently proposed that the zone can produce an earthquake of magnitude 9. This worst case scales up the 1945 Makran earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami that took hundreds of lives [7]. Coastal Pakistan is also subject to tropical cyclones, as seen recently with cyclones Gonu and Phet.

Today coastal communities of Pakistan are much more vulnerable (to tsunami, cyclone and sea level rise) than they were in 1945 because of high population density, rapid urbanization, lack of land use planning and loss of natural safeguards such as mangroves and sand dunes. In urban areas where the multilayer communication networks exist, it is assumed that emergency information can be delivered quickly, though how to manage evacuation from low‐ lying parts of Karachi has yet to be determined. Pakistan's coastal villages are vulnerable to marine hazards not just because of meager communications, but also because of poverty and

**Figure 7.** Boundaries of District Thatta, red outlined.

low literacy rates resulting communities' inappropriate level of understanding and responding warnings.

Ten such villages were selected for study of the capacity to receive tsunami warnings. Eight are located in Sindh Province—in Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin districts, mostly located in the Indus Delta—and the other two are in Gwadar District of Balochistan Province. All 10 were visited for field observation of the current situation with regard to the delivery of official tsunami warnings.
