Lok Sabha Question No. 1808 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Implementation Status of Early Warning Systems in Andhra Pradesh
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Appalanaidu Kalisetti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1808

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 30 TH  JULY, 2025

## IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS IN ANDHRA PRADESH

## 1808.   SHRI APPALANAIDU KALISETTI:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  and  details  of  early  warning  infrastructure  including  Cyclone  Sirens, Satellite  phones,  Doppler  radars and  Automatic  Weather  Stations  installed  in  Andhra Pradesh's coastal districts, especially Vizianagram, district-wise;
- (b) the  number  of  registered  fishermen  receiving  IMD/INCOIS  alerts  via  SMS  or  voice messaging;
- (c) whether  any  gaps  have  been  identified  in  alert  coverage,  language  accessibility  or mobile connectivity, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) the number of mock drills and public awareness campaigns conducted in each coastal district during the last three years in coordination with APSDMA; and
- (e) whether  any  failures  were  reported  in  warning  dissemination  or  evacuation  efforts during recent cyclones such as Gulab (2021), Asani (2022) or Michaung (2023) and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) The number and details of early warning infrastructure installed in Andhra Pradesh are given in Annexure-1. In the Vizianagram district,  there are 53 AWSs and 38 ARGs installed by the India Meteorological Department/State Government. In addition, there are  2  Doppler  Weather  Radars  (DWRs)  located  at  Visakhapatnam  (Visakhapatnam district) and Machilipatnam (Krishna district) that are operational. The DWR Gopalpur also covers it.
- (b) A total of 1,21,751 registered fishermen receive the India Meteorological Department/Indian  National  Centre  for  Ocean  Information  Services  (INCOIS)  alerts through  SMS  or  voice  messaging.  INCOIS  provides  multi-hazard  early  warning services,  including  alerts  for  tsunamis,  storm  surges,  high  waves,  swell  surges,  and strong ocean currents during extreme oceanic conditions. INCOIS also provides Marine Fishery Advisory Services to support the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities.
- (c) NCAER conducted an independent survey in 2020. These survey findings show that a much  larger  proportion  of  marine  fishermen  are using weather  advisories very frequently,  as  many  as  87.7  percent  are  using  these  advisories  on  a  daily  basis,  as compared to just 15.1 percent before 2015. However, efforts have been made to provide video and audio coverage and press briefings in the local language  by  MC Amaravati/CWC  Visakhapatnam  on  a  daily  basis.  The  warnings  are  disseminated through  the  CAP  Sachet  Portal,  emails,  and  all  social  media  such  as  WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
- (d) About  25  mock  drills  on  floods,  cyclones,  and  landslides,  creating  awareness,  were conducted in  2024  by  the  IMD  in  coordination  with  the  State  Government  and  other stakeholders. In the year 2025 so far, about 17 mock drills were conducted, out of which 10 were on floods, and seven were on cyclones. In addition, during the past three years, two tsunami mock drills were conducted on 4 th October 2023 and 5 th November 2024. In the 2024 mock drill, community-level evacuations were successfully carried out in six coastal villages (Mypadu,  Krishnapatnam,  Bheemulavaripalem,  Thupilipalem, Yarada, and Waltair Ward) across three coastal districts (SPSR Nellore, Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam).
- (e) No failures were reported in association with any of the recent cyclones such as Gulab (2021), Asani (2022),  or Michaung (2023).  The associated losses of human life were also significantly less.

Annexure-1

District-wise  Early  Warning  infrastructure  installed  in  the  Coastal  Districts  of  Andhra Pradesh is given below:

| S.No   | Districts                 | MP CS Buil ding s   | Alert sirens (EWDS) impleme nted   | Satellite Phones   |   DEOC 'S Alert sirens (EWD S) |   MEOC'S Alert sirens (EWDS) |   Fish landing Centers Alert sirens (EWDS) |   Tourist locations |
|--------|---------------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------|--------------------|--------------------------------|------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------|
| 1      | Srikakulam                | 41                  | 34                                 | 2                  |                              1 |                           15 |                                          2 |                   0 |
| 2      | Vizianagaram              | 7                   | 7                                  | 1                  |                              1 |                            2 |                                          1 |                   0 |
| 3      | Visakhapatnam             | 1                   |                                    | 2                  |                              1 |                            5 |                                          2 |                   4 |
| 4      | Anakapalli                | 28                  | 14                                 | -                  |                              0 |                            6 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 5      | Kakinada                  | 9                   | 3                                  | 1                  |                              1 |                            6 |                                          2 |                   1 |
| 6      | Dr.B.R Amdedkar Konaseema | 20                  | 17                                 | -                  |                              0 |                            8 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 7      | West Godavari             | 12                  | 6                                  | -                  |                              0 |                            2 |                                          1 |                   1 |
| 8      | Krishna                   | 17                  | 10                                 | -                  |                              1 |                            5 |                                          2 |                   1 |
| 9      | Bapatla                   | 20                  | 11                                 | -                  |                              0 |                            7 |                                          2 |                   0 |
| 10     | Prakasam                  | 12                  | 9                                  | 1                  |                              1 |                            5 |                                          2 |                   0 |
| 11     | SPSR Nellore              | 44                  | 31                                 | 1                  |                              1 |                           10 |                                          2 |                   1 |
| 12     | Tirupathi                 | 8                   | 3                                  | 1                  |                              0 |                            5 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 13     | Eluru                     |                     |                                    | 1                  |                              1 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 14     | Alluri Sitharama Raju     |                     |                                    | 2                  |                              0 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 15     | East Godavari             |                     |                                    | -                  |                              0 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 16     | NTR                       |                     |                                    | 1                  |                              0 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 17     | Guntur                    |                     |                                    | 3                  |                              1 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| 14     | SEOC                      |                     |                                    | APSDM A-2 SDRF- 2  |                              1 |                            0 |                                          0 |                   0 |
| Total  | Total                     | 219                 | 145                                | 16                 |                             10 |                           76 |                                         16 |                   8 |

Note: EWDS implemented in 255 locations

District-wise IMD's AWS, ARG, and AGROAWS is given in the table below:

| District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh   | District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh   | District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh   | District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh   | District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh   |
|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| District                                  | AWS                                       | Agro AWS                                  | AWS Total                                 | ARG                                       |
| ASR                                       | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 2                                         |
| Anakapalli                                | 2                                         |                                           | 2                                         |                                           |
| Kakinada                                  | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 2                                         |
| Konaseema                                 | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         |
| Srikakulam                                | 3                                         | 1                                         | 4                                         | 4                                         |
| Visakhapatnam                             | 2                                         |                                           | 2                                         | 5                                         |
| Vizianagaram                              | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         |
| West Godavari                             | 4                                         |                                           | 4                                         |                                           |
| East Godavari                             |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         | 1                                         |
| Eluru                                     |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         | 4                                         |
| P Manyam                                  |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         | 2                                         |
| Bapatla                                   | 2                                         |                                           | 2                                         | 3                                         |
| Guntur                                    | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         |
| Krishna                                   | 2                                         |                                           | 2                                         |                                           |
| NTR                                       | 1                                         | 1                                         | 2                                         | 3                                         |
| Prakasam                                  | 3                                         | 1                                         | 4                                         | 3                                         |
| Palnadu                                   |                                           |                                           |                                           | 4                                         |
| SPSR Nellore                              | 2                                         | 1                                         | 3                                         | 2                                         |
| Anantapur*                                | 2                                         |                                           | 2                                         | 5                                         |
| Nandyal*                                  | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 5                                         |
| Satya Sai*                                | 1                                         |                                           | 1                                         | 3                                         |
| Tirupati                                  | 4                                         |                                           | 4                                         | 1                                         |
| YSR Kadapa*                               | 2                                         | 1                                         | 3                                         | 3                                         |
| Kurnool*                                  |                                           | 1                                         | 1                                         | 3                                         |
| Chittoor*                                 |                                           |                                           |                                           | 2                                         |
| Annamayya*                                |                                           |                                           |                                           | 2                                         |
| Total                                     | 36                                        | 9                                         | 45                                        | 62                                        |

As per the above table, there is one AWS in Vizianagaram District and one ARG in Bobbili.

The AWSs and ARGs installed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh is given below:

| S.NO   | DISTRICT              |   NO OF MANDALS |   AWS |   ARG |   TOTAL (AWS+ARG) |
|--------|-----------------------|-----------------|-------|-------|-------------------|
| 1      | Srikakulam            |              30 |    53 |    29 |                82 |
| 2      | ParvathipuramManyam   |              15 |    30 |    13 |                43 |
| 3      | Alluri Sitharama Raju |              22 |    44 |    11 |                55 |
| 4      | Vizianagaram          |              27 |    52 |    37 |                89 |
| 5      | Visakhapatnam         |              11 |    14 |   102 |               116 |
| 6      | Anakapalli            |              24 |    47 |    57 |               104 |
| 7      | Konaseema             |              22 |    26 |    22 |                48 |
| 8      | Kakinada              |              21 |    32 |    45 |                77 |
| 9      | East Godavari         |              19 |    39 |    27 |                66 |
| 10     | Eluru                 |              27 |    62 |    18 |                80 |
| 11     | West Godavari         |              20 |    30 |    19 |                49 |
| 12     | Krishna               |              25 |    45 |    26 |                71 |
| 13     | NTR                   |              20 |    39 |    30 |                69 |
| 14     | Guntur                |              18 |    32 |    35 |                67 |
| 15     | Bapatla               |              25 |    48 |    24 |                72 |
| 16     | Palnadu               |              28 |    71 |    49 |               120 |
| 17     | Prakasham             |              38 |   132 |   101 |               233 |
| 18     | Nellore               |              38 |   107 |    85 |               192 |
| 19     | Tirupathi             |              34 |    83 |    47 |               130 |
| 20     | Chittoor              |              31 |    64 |    38 |               102 |
| 21     | Sri Satya Sai         |              32 |   105 |    69 |               174 |
| 22     | Ananthapuram          |              31 |   115 |   100 |               215 |
| 23     | Annamayya             |              30 |    70 |    28 |                98 |
| 24     | YSR Kadapa            |              36 |    97 |    83 |               180 |
| 25     | Nandyala              |              29 |    81 |    49 |               130 |
| 26     | Kurnool               |              26 |   100 |    55 |               155 |
|        | Grand Total           |             679 |  1618 |  1199 |              2817 |

## Doppler Weather Radars in Andhra Pradesh

There are three Doppler Weather Radars installed in Andhra Pradesh.

Two Doppler Weather Radars of IMD are located at Visakhapatnam (Dist: Visakhapatnam) and  Machilipatnam  (Dist:  Krishna).  One  Radar  of  ISRO  is  located  at  SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota (Dist:Tirupati).

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