World Tsunami Awareness Day
Every year, the World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) is celebrated on November 5. It is celebrated by the United Nations and several other international organisations.
About World Tsunami Awareness Day
- The United Nations designated the World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5 in 2015. It is a brainchild of Japan. The day calls on international organizations and countries to raise awareness about natural disasters and their risk reduction.
- Though Tsunamis are believed to be a rare event, in the past 1000 years, around 58 tsunami incidents have occurred.
Need for World Tsunami Awareness Day
It is estimated that around 50% of the world population will live in coastal areas by 2030. This population will be exposed to all natural disasters such as flooding, tsunamis and storms. Therefore, it is important to scale up the international cooperation and stay prepared and resilient to tsunamis.
World Tsunami Awareness Day, 2021
In 2021, the WTAD promotes the target (f) of the Sendai Seven Campaign. The main objective is to enhance international cooperation of developing countries through sustainable support.
Tsunamis
The word Tsunami means “Harbour waves”. It is a Japanese word. It is a series of giant waves created by earthquakes, under water landslides and undersea volcanic eruptions. The tsunami waves travel at a speed of 800 kilometre per hour. They can reach to a height of 300 feet. Around 80% of the tsunamis occur in Pacific Ocean. The speed of the tsunami is fast in deep waters and slow in shallow waters. The deadliest Tsunami occurred in December 2004 and killed more than 2.27 lakh people.
