UAE and neighbours geographically protected from Tsunami threat

Abu Dhabi: The residents in the UAE and other Gulf states do not need to worry about Tsunami as the region has geographical barriers to prevent such threats, an Omani expert said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The Indian subcontinent always acts as a barrier to Tsunami waves originating from Indonesia where large earthquakes occur frequently [causing Tsunamis] , said Dr. Ali Al Lazkia, assistant professor at Department of Earth Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.

He spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the sixth Gulf Seismic Forum which was officially opened in the capital on Tuesday.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) in Abu Dhabi is organising the forum under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NCMS.

The only possible Tsunami threat to the Gulf region is an earthquake in Indian Ocean or Arabian Sea which are not in high risk zone, Al Lazkia said. "Even if it happens,Indian subcontinent and Straight of Hormuz will minimize the impact of Tsunami waves", he said.

"During the 2004 Tsunami that devastated several coastal areas in Asian countries, the Indian subcontinent prevented the Tsunami waves from reaching the Gulf waters, he said. Although mild waves reached southern Oman and some parts of Yemen, they [the waves] were already weakened by the presence of the Strait of Hormuz, which also acts as a barrier for countries in the region [against Tsunami]," said Al Lazkia.

If a Tsunami originates from the waters of Americas and Europe, it will never be a threat to the Gulf states due to the geographical protection; Gulf waters are not directly linked to those waters, according to the expert.

Gulf waters are low-deep, which also minimises the risk of Tsunami, he said.

Still, he cautioned that nobody can predict the nature of water bodies, so Gulf countries have to take all precautions against natural disasters.