Executive Summary:
This document presents the implementation status of early warning systems in Andhra Pradesh as of July 30, 2025. It details the infrastructure, alert dissemination, survey findings, mock drill activities, and performance during recent cyclones. The information is provided in response to questions raised in the Lok Sabha.
Key Points / Main Content:
Early Warning Infrastructure:
* Vizianagram district has 53 AWSs and 38 ARGs installed by the India Meteorological Department/State Government.
* Two Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) are operational at Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam district) and Machilipatnam (Krishna district); DWR Gopalpur also provides coverage.
* Annexure 1 provides district-wise details of installed early warning infrastructure in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
* A total of 219 Alert Sirens, 145 Fish landing center Alert Sirens, 16 Tourist location Alert Sirens, 10 DEOC Sirens, 76 MP Sirens, 16 Alert Sirens Building, 8 Alert Sirens Implemented, 2 EWDS S MEOCS CS EWDS are installed.
* There are 45 AWSs, 62 ARG in Andhra Pradesh.
* The AWSs and ARGs installed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh is given for all the 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh.
* ISRO has a Radar located at SDSCSHAR, Sriharikota Dist:Tirupati.
Alert Dissemination:
* 1,21,751 registered fishermen receive IMD/INCOIS alerts via SMS or voice messaging.
* INCOIS provides multi-hazard early warning services (tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc.) and Marine Fishery Advisory Services.
* Warnings are disseminated through the CAP Sachet Portal, emails, and social media.
Survey Findings and Language Accessibility:
* A 2020 survey indicated 87.7% of marine fishermen use weather advisories daily, compared to 15.1% before 2015.
* MC Amaravati/CWC Visakhapatnam provides daily video/audio coverage and press briefings in the local language.
Mock Drills and Public Awareness:
* In 2024, IMD conducted about 25 mock drills on floods, cyclones, and landslides in coordination with the State Government.
* In 2025, about 17 mock drills were conducted (10 on floods, 7 on cyclones).
* Two tsunami mock drills were conducted on October 4, 2023, and November 5, 2024, including community-level evacuations in six coastal villages.
Cyclone Performance:
* No failures were reported in warning dissemination or evacuation during recent cyclones (Gulab 2021, Asani 2022, Michaung 2023).
* Losses of human life were significantly less during these cyclones.
Impact Analysis:
Fishermen:
* Impact: Direct recipients of early warning alerts and marine fishery advisories, enabling safer practices.
* Action Required: Utilize the received alerts and advisories for informed decision-making.
Coastal Communities:
* Impact: Benefit from improved early warning systems and preparedness measures.
* Action Required: Participate in mock drills and heed evacuation advisories.
Andhra Pradesh State Government (APSDMA):
* Impact: Responsible for coordinating with IMD and other stakeholders for effective disaster management.
* Action Required: Continue to collaborate with IMD, conduct public awareness campaigns, and improve alert coverage.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) and INCOIS:
* Impact: Providers of early warning services and weather information.
* Action Required: Maintain and improve early warning infrastructure, disseminate timely alerts, and conduct awareness programs.
Key Entities Referenced
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, focus of the early warning system implementation.
IMD: India Meteorological Department, responsible for weather monitoring and forecasting.
INCOIS: Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, provides multihazard early warning services.
Vizianagram district, Andhra Pradesh: A coastal district in Andhra Pradesh, specifically mentioned for early warning infrastructure.
Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh: A coastal district in Andhra Pradesh with Doppler Weather Radar (DWR).
Machilipatnam, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh: Location of a Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh.
Gulab 2021: Cyclone event in 2021.
APSDMA: Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, coordinating agency for mock drills and public awareness campaigns.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1808
TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 30TH 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 4th October 2023 and 5th 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:
Alert Fish Tourist
DEOC
MP sirens landing locations
’S MEOC’S
CS (EWDS) Centers
Satellite Alert Alert
S.No Districts Buil impleme Alert
Phones sirens sirens
ding nted sirens
(EWD (EWDS)
s (EWDS)
S)
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
Dr.B.R 17 0 8 0 0
6 Amdedkar 20 -
Konaseema
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
Alluri Sitharama 0 0 0 0
14 2
Raju
15 East Godavari - 0 0 0 0
16 NTR 1 0 0 0 0
17 Guntur 3 1 0 0 0
APSDM 1 0 0 0
14 SEOC A-2
SDRF- 2
Total 219 145 16 10 76 16 8
Note: EWDS implemented in 255 locationsDistrict-wise IMD’s AWS, ARG, and AGROAWS is given in the table below:
District-wise AWS/ARG in Andhra Pradesh
Agro AWS
District AWS ARG
AWS Total
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
*: Rayalaseema;
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:
NO OF TOTAL
S.NO DISTRICT AWS ARG
MANDALS (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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