Government of India has initiated mobile-based early disaster communication system by using geo-intelligence aimed at delivering emergency alerts to citizens in a faster and more effective manner. The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), has initiated nation-wide testing of this indigenous mobile-based early warning system on Tuesday. People of Vidarbha, on Tuesday, received the first ever emergency weather warning on their mobile phones on Monday, alerting them about an “Extremely Severe” heat wave situation expected over the next 24 hours. The alert warned that heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at many places, while warm night conditions may also occur in isolated areas.

 

The mobile alert specifically mentioned Nagpur, Amravati, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Wardha districts, advising people to remain cautious amid soaring temperatures. The warning comes as Vidarbha continues to witness extreme summer conditions, with temperatures in several districts crossing 45 degrees Celsius. Residents reported receiving the notification directly on their smartphones, accompanied by a loud warning tone. The alert urged people to avoid unnecessary exposure to sunlight, stay hydrated, and take precautions against heat-related illnesses. The integrated alert system, known as SACHET, has been developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom research and development centre of the DoT.

 

he system has already been successfully operationalised by NDMA across all 36 States and Union Territories of India and is currently being used to send geographically targeted disaster and emergency alerts through SMS. To further strengthen emergency communication during time-sensitive situations such as heatwave, tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning strikes, gas leaks, heavy rains, and chemical hazards, Cell Broadcast (CB) technology has now been introduced alongside traditional SMS alerts. Unlike regular SMS services, Cell Broadcast technology allows warning messages to be simultaneously transmitted to all mobile devices within a specific geographical area, ensuring immediate delivery of alerts.

 

As part of the nation-wide rollout and prior to the formal launch of the Cell Broadcast system, large-scale testing and trial exercises are currently being conducted across the country to evaluate the functionality and reliability of the network. During the testing period, citizens may receive “test alerts” on their mobile phones in English, Hindi, and regional languages. Users can enable or disable such alerts through the following menu path on their smartphones: Settings/Safety & Emergency/Wireless Emergency Alerts/Test Alerts.