case study on tsunami in india 2004

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2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: 17 years on, a look back at one of the deadliest natural disasters in history

Triggered by the undersea earthquake activity offshore, the 100-feet-high tsunami waves laid bare complete annihilation in as many as 14 countries, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

December 26, 2021, marks 17 years since the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004 which struck the coasts of multiple countries in south and southeast Asia and took a fatal toll on the population there.

Listed among the worst calamities in this part of the world, more than 230,000 people across India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand, and Indonesia were and the countries sustained billions of dollars worth of damages to property after the 100-foot tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake.

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami is also known as the Boxing Day Tsunami or, in the scientific community, the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. According to a report by CNN, the tremors were so powerful that it was one of those rare instances when the entire planet vibrated and no place on Earth escaped movement.

“Globally, this earthquake was large enough to basically vibrate the whole planet as much as half an inch, or a centimeter,” the report quoted an associate professor of geosciences at the Penn State University in the United States. “Everywhere we had instruments, we could see motions.”

Here's all you need to know about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on its 17th anniversary:

Where was the epicentre of the earthquake?

The undersea megathrust earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 9.1-9.3, originated from an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia, caused by a rupture along the fault line between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate.

The earthquake was immediately felt in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Maldives. In its aftermath, the tsunami followed and, as a result of the seafloor popping up, the height and intensity of the tsunami waves were greatly increased and it led to the destruction of communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean.

Among deadliest natural disasters in recorded history

According to geological estimates, the 2004 earthquake was the third-largest of its type to ever be recorded, and it managed to even trigger aftershocks as far away as in Alaska. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totalling more than $14 billion.

Indonesia, hit worst by the disaster, was however no stranger to earthquakes, lying between the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Alpide Belt along the south and west. The 2002 Sumatra earthquake is, in fact, believed to have been a foreshock to this main event.

Tsunami waves more destructive than WWII nuclear bombs

According to Tad Murty, the vice president of the Tsunami Society, the total energy of the 2004 tsunami waves (the large, destructive waves slowed down near the coast and reached 80-100 feet in height) was equivalent to about five megatons of TNT (21 PJ), which is more than twice the total explosive energy used during all of World War II including the two atomic bombs.

A tsunami researcher and forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Tsunami Research, Vasily Titov, also cites the destructive capacity of the 2004 tsunami to the earthquake in the megathrust fault, “where heavy oceanic plates subduct beneath lighter continental plates”.

“They are the largest faults in the world and they’re all underwater,” History quoted him as saying. He added that the tsunami waves could be seen like a large pebble falling in the ocean causing mega ripples.

An eye-opener for India

The Sumatra earthquake and tsunami are considered to be an eye-opener for India as they introduced the Indian coastline to tsunami and its destructible power. Learning from the unprecedented natural disaster that led to such heavy damage to life and property, the Ministry of Earth founded the Indian Tsunami Early Warning System (ITEWS) at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad in October 2007.

Scientists in India are now able to predict and project movements in the Indian Ocean through real-time seismic monitoring with Bottom Pressure Recorders (BPR), tide gauges, and a 24x7 operational tsunami warning system to detect tsunamigenic earthquakes as to provide early advisories to the most vulnerable.

India eventually became the first country to establish an early warning system for tsunami detection, while Odisha became the first state in the country to get a Tsunami Ready recognition.

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Impact of 2004 Tsunami in the Islands of Indian Ocean: Lessons Learned

Georges ramalanjaona.

1 Department of Emergency Medicine, St. John's Episcopal Hospital, 327 Beach 19th Street, Far Rockaway, New York, NY 11691, USA

2 Department of Emergency Medicine, St. John's Episcopal Hospital, 3264 Wolfson Dive, Baldwin, New York, NY 11510, USA

Tsunami of 2004, caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, is the most devastating tsunami in modern times, affecting 18 countries in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa, killing more than 250,000 people in a single day, and leaving more than 1.7 million homeless. However, less reported, albeit real, is its impact in the islands of the Indian Ocean more than 1,000 miles away from its epicenter. This is the first peer-reviewed paper on the 2004 tsunami events specifically in the eleven nations bordering the Indian Ocean, as they constitute a region at risk, due to the presence of tectonic interactive plate, absence of a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, and lack established communication network providing timely information to that region. Our paper has a dual objective: the first objective is to report the 2004 tsunami event in relation to the 11 nations bordering the Indian Ocean. The second one is to elaborate on lessons learned from it from national, regional, and international disaster management programs to prevent such devastating consequences of tsunami from occurring again in the future.

1. Introduction

Tsunami is a series of ocean waves typically caused by large undersea earthquakes or volcano eruptions at tectonic plate boundaries. These surges of water may reach 100 feet and cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore. They race across the sea at a speed up to 500 miles per hour and cross the entire Pacific Ocean in less than one day. Their long wavelength means that they lose very little energy along the way.

Tsunami of December 2004, caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, is the most infamous tsunami of modern times with disastrous consequences in many areas [ 1 ]

• humanitarian toll: it affected more than 18 countries from Southeast Asia to Southern Africa, killing more than 250,000 people in a single day and leaving more than one million homeless,
• economic toll: it left several million of dollars of economic loss affecting fishing and tourist industries,
• environmental and medical threats including water pollution and flooding and endemic diseases.

The rationale for writing this paper is to report the tsunami events in the eleven nations bordering the Indian Ocean, as they received less publicity than their Southeast Asian countries counterpart although the 2004 tsunami had real humanitarian, economic, and environmental impact in these regions more than 1,000 miles away from the epicenter [ 2 ].

Furthermore, these regions are at risk from the devastating effects of future tsunami due to the presence of a tectonic interactive plate [ 3 ], absence of a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, and lack of established communication network providing timely information to that region.

2. Methodology

This paper is a review of documents collected by WHO and other organizations/authors involved in disaster management during the 2004 tsunami.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. impact of tsunami in the islands of the indian ocean.

These eleven countries bordering the Indian Ocean are Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Seychelles, Comoros islands and by geographical extension include countries in southern borders of Africa such as Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa.

These individual countries suffered humanitarian loss with more than 3,000 people killed and left more than 10,000 homeless about 1,000 miles away from epicenter. In terms of economic toll, several million dollars were reported accompanied by environmental threat due to flooding.

Specifically included is a country by country report [ 4 ] with other south-Asian countries.

(i) Mauritius —

Large waves completely submerged one village in north of the island. Although there was no death published, a significant economic loss in millions of dollars was reported.

(ii) Madagascar —

Waves up to 10 meters were seen in southeastern region of the island. There was one death and more than 1,000 people homeless. Furthermore, there were considerable economic damages inflicted in touristic and fishing industries and infrastructure disruptions due to flooding and beach erosion ( http://savannah.gatech.edu/cee/groups/tsunami/madagascar.html ).

(iii) Reunion Island —

It suffered mostly economic damages over one million dollars involving fishing industries with more than 200 boats sunk. No deaths were reported.

(iv) Seychelles —

Ten people were reported killed, and flooding destroyed a major bridge between the capital Port Victoria and main airport. Also, the island reported devastating economic loss in millions of dollars due to hotels, housing, public utilities, and fishing damages.

(v) Somalia —

More than 300 deaths were reported and 5,000 displaced.

(vi) Tanzania —

Tsunami killed ten people with unknown number missing along with significant economic damages.

(vii) Kenya —

Two deaths and two injured people were reported.

(viii) South Africa —

8 people were killed about 8,000 km away from the epicenter.

(ix) Indonesia —

122,232 deaths and 113,937 missing.

(x) Shri Lanka —

30,974 killed and 4,698 missing.

(xi) Thailand —

5,395 killed and 2,993 missing.

(xii) Maldives —

82 deaths and 26 missing.

(xiii) Malaysia —

68 deaths reported.

(xiv) Myanmar —

(xv) bangladesh —, (xvi) burma —, 3.2. lessons learned from 2004 tsunami.

To prevent the devastating effects of future tsunami, these islands of Indian Ocean have set their priorities in achieving 3 goals [ 5 ]:

• development of disaster tsunami program which include implementation of tsunami program at national level, regional, and international levels and coordination of all these programs,
• development of an Indian Ocean early warning system,
• development of tsunami research program.

3.2.1. National Level

The most studied plans are the Madagascar plan, the tsunami early warning and response system in Mauritius, and the creation of the Department of Risk and Disaster Management in Seychelles.

(i) Madagascar Plan —

It was developed in 2006 and is the most exhaustive of all the other national plans and should serve as a model for other islands. It includes 5 objectives:

• development of national evacuation plan on tsunami,
• establishment of early warning system in conjunction with regional system,
• increase public and community awareness through publication and training of media and local authorities,
• conduct mock exercises on tsunami,
• strengthen the operational capacity of national meteorological service to include national warning system.

3.2.2. Regional Level

Disaster management is a regional priority in the Indian Ocean due to permanent threat of cyclones, floods, and tsunamis. The stated two goals set by a series of regional meetings in 2005 and 2006 are [ 6 ] the following:

• implementation of Indian Ocean tsunami warning and mitigation system (IOTWS), which focused on defining disaster management and reduction (prevention, mitigation, response and relief) of disaster by all the participating countries,
• development of integrated regional information network (IRIN) with the goals of creation of an early warning system for the islands in the Indian Ocean and ensuring adequate equipment to manage natural disasters including tsunamis.

The important issues are the cost of establishing such warning system in the Indian Ocean, the transfer of existing technology versus improving, old one, global warming and extreme weather events in that region.

3.2.3. International Level

A series of international meetings have been convened to discuss the role international organizations [ 7 ]:

• development of tsunami warning and mitigation system,
• coordination of national tsunami warning center with regional centers,
• funding of projects and rehabilitation of roads and bridges
• increase public awareness and training of key staff in tsunami preparedness and warning at all levels.

3.3. Future and Challenges

The main challenge for all the islands of the Indian Ocean is to coordinate all the national efforts with existing regional and international endeavors to meet their stated priorities before the next tsunami events.

The role of one special group of physicians should be mentioned at all these levels.

Emergency physicians are knowledgeable on the risks of tsunami and are trained in the field of disaster management, thus they are true expert. They should get involve as leaders in local, national, and international organizations as resources in disaster management as well as humanitarian institutions such as Red Cross.

4. Conclusion

This paper is the first peer-reviewed paper on the impact of the 2004 tsunami on the islands bordering the Indian Ocean and the lessons learned from this event from national, regional, and international organizations to prevent such events from occurring again in the future.

Tsunami is an ever-present and real threat for the these islands of the Indian Ocean due to the presence of a tectonic interactive plate.

Their disaster management priority is the development of an early tsunami warning system in order to effectively and timely communicate with all the people in that region.

Disaster management should involve national, regional, and international organizations at all levels in order to develop tsunami program, fund tsunami projects, and continue research program.

Ten years after the 2004 tsunami, the Indian Ocean is better prepared to avert disaster

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System, established following the 2004 earthquake, has improved the ability of Indian Ocean countries to handle a new tsunami. Nevertheless, some challenges still need to be overcome, notably the issue of long-term funding for the system.

Pictures of the havoc wreaked by the tsunami that struck countries around the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 travelled the world, showing destroyed homes, villages covered in mud and beaches strewn with all manner of debris. They gave us an idea of the magnitude of devastation that in just a few hours spread along the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, southern India and western Thailand, and of the suffering that ensued.

That tsunami, unleashed by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was one of the deadliest in history. It claimed nearly 230,000 lives, led to the displacement of 1.6 million people, and caused material damages estimated at close to $14 billion.

This heavy toll is largely due to the fact that people were caught unawares and had no time to run for safety before the wave broke. The countries of the Indian Ocean did not dispose of a warning system as they had had little experience of tsunami occurrences, 70% of which take place in the Pacific Ocean and its adjacent seas.

Following this tragedy, Indian Ocean countries turned to UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Committee (IOC) to establish and coordinate an  Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/IOTWS), similar to the one that has been operational in the Pacific Ocean since 1965. Two other warning systems were established at the same time—in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as in the Caribbean—ensuring that all marine areas in the world are covered.

Officially launched in 2005, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System became fully operational in 2011. Twenty-eight countries* constitute the Intergovernmental Coordination Group, the governing body of ICG/IOTWS. The three simulation exercises held  in 2009, 2011 and 2014 proved that the system was functional. They assessed the effectiveness of information flows between stakeholders and local emergency procedures.

Recent research has helped increase the effectiveness of the system. Post-tsunami investigations yielded a mass of data that improve our understanding of this natural phenomenon. Scientists are now able to model tsunami occurrences and see how they travel from the high seas to the shores.

In the Indian Ocean, a network of seismometers, tide gauges and buoys with satellite links provides data concerning underwater seismic tremors to three regional warning centres in Australia, India and Indonesia. These centres are then able to alert the relevant national authorities in the event of a tsunami.

Ten years after the tragedy, countries around the Indian Ocean are much better able to handle a tsunami than they were in 2004. Nevertheless, participants at an international conference organized by the IOC, and the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics in Jakarta (Indonesia) from 24 to 25 November 2004 pointed to several challenges that must still to be overcome.

“Covering the last mile” is a major issue, because although the warning system is functional at the regional and national levels, it is necessary to make sure that populations living in remote areas will be reached in time to escape the wave.

Funding represents another hurdle. Considerable resources were granted by some countries, particularly Australia, India and Indonesia, when the present system was established. But direct funding by States plummeted from $9 million in 2005-2006 to less than $1 million in 2013-2014. Keeping the warning system operational is estimated to cost between $50 and $100 million dollars annually. This is the price that must be paid to keep the number of future tsunami victims down.

Contact: Agnès Bardon, UNESCO Press Service, +33 1 45 68 17 64, a.bardon(at)unesco.org

*Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Djibouti, France (La Réunion), India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen.

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Case study: Indian Ocean, 2004

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1.3.5 Prediction, preparation and protection

2.1 components of an ecosystem.

• On December 20, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a tsunami across the coastlines of the Indian Ocean
• 1600 km of fault surface ruptured about 15 m along the subduction zone of the Indian plate under the Burma plate, displacing an estimated 30 cubic kilometres of water, sending is at 500 to 1000 km/h to the coast, where the wave reached heights of 30 m
• The earthquake and tsunami were felt in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Maldives
• It is the most devastating tsunami in history
• Over 200 thousand people died
• 5 million people left homeless without adequate food, water or sanitation
• In Indonesia, over 150 thousand people were killed, 30 thousand in Sri Lanka and 15 thousand in India
• 410 houses destroyed
• Local economies devastated, especially coastal fishing communities, where two-thirds of the infrastructure were destroyed
• The earthquake & tsunami caused considerable damage to local ecosystems
• 2 million people lost their jobs and an estimated 4 million fell into poverty
• Tourism was affected, even in places that weren’t closed, due to psychological aversion
• Damage to sewage caused the spread of liquid waste, industrial chemicals and polluted water, further damaging the environment
• Sanitation and fresh water were provided to prevent the spread of disease
• Over $10 billion pledged to help those affected
• The World Food Programme provided food for over 1.3 million people
• The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning system was set up, and functioned successfully for the 2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes
• The Australian government sent ecological experts to the Maldives to help restore the marine environment

• IAS Preparation
• This Day in History
• This Day In History Dec - 26

Tsunami Struck the Indian Ocean - [December 26, 2004] This Day in History

On 26 December 2004, a megathrust earthquake with its epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia struck the Indian Ocean and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis that affected 14 countries including India, killing a total of about 2,80,000 people.

This is an important day in history. Aspirants can read about other important ‘ This Day in History ‘ topics from the linked article.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam .

Indian Ocean Tsunami

• A tsunami or a seismic sea wave is a series of waves that are caused in a large water body like an ocean by the displacement of massive volumes of water. The displacement can occur due to earthquakes , volcanic eruptions, landslides, meteorite impacts, underwater explosions, etc.
• Tsunamis are sometimes called tidal waves because they resemble rapidly rising tides, but scientists avoid this usage since tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon whereas tsunamis are caused by water displacement.
• The 2004 tsunami was caused by a massive earthquake that was the third-largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. It measured between 9.1 and 9.3-moment magnitude. The duration of faulting was between 8.3 and 10 minutes and this was the longest ever.
• The epicentre was in the Indian Ocean between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.
• The scientific community named this earthquake the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake . It’s very high intensity makes it a megathrust earthquake.
• About 1600 km of fault surface slipped 15 m along the zone where the Indian Plate slides under the Burma Plate.
• It triggered several aftershocks for up to 3 to 4 months after the event. An enormous amount of energy was released as a result of the seismic activity and the earth is said to have wobbled minutely on its axis. The alteration in the mass and the energy released also caused a change in the earth’s rotation.
• Due to the earthquake, the seabed rose vertically by many metres displacing a huge volume of water thus, causing the tsunami.
• Indonesia was the first country to be hit by the tsunami because of its proximity. It also saw the maximum casualty, close to 1,70,000 being killed.
• The eastern coast of India was hit about 2 hours later sometime after 9:00 AM local time. Kerala was hit after another 2 hours. It also hit countries far away like Somalia, Tanzania and even South Africa. Bangladesh was spared the horror despite its nearness to the epicentre because the tsunami waves were in the east-west direction.
• The tsunami was also detected in Antarctica, Mexico and Vancouver in Canada.

While IAS Exam aspirants prepare geography-related topics, they come across various topics which need better understanding. Such topics are linked below:

Effects on India

• In India, the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh were badly affected. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were also severely affected. Fortunately, many of the aboriginal tribal people were safe thanks to their oral traditions and wisdom which made them flee to safer higher grounds before the tsunami struck.
• Before the tsunami struck taking people by surprise, they observed a “sea disappearing” effect, i.e, the sea retreated by as much as 2.5 km in some places. Many people who had come to witness this were submerged when the tsunami struck suddenly. The waves were as high as 100 feet in many places.
• In Thailand, many European vacationers were also affected.
• Countries that were affected by the disaster in approximate decreasing order of casualties: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, Seychelles, Bangladesh, South Africa, Yemen, Kenya and Madagascar. Many European countries like Sweden and Germany also had a large number of victims.
• This 2004 tsunami was the deadliest recorded tsunami in history.
• The catastrophe triggered a massive wave of humanitarian aid from all over the world with governments, organisations and individuals contributing significantly.
• The tsunami also destroyed the economies of many communities, especially that relied on the sea for a living.
• In India, the coastal town of Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu reported the most number of deaths with over 6000 people killed. Many villages were completely destroyed.
• The total damage caused due to the tsunami in 2004 is about USD 19.6 billion.

Candidates may also learn about disaster management from the related links below:

Indian Ocean Tsunami:  Download PDF Here

For more information about the general pattern of the UPSC Exams, visit the UPSC Syllabus page. Candidates can also find additional UPSC preparation material and articles in the table below:

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