recommendations of these international agreements with the development of several national as
well as sectoral strategies and action plans.
431. The Republic of Mauritius became the first SIDS to have a fully operational early warning
system (EWS) for incoming Storm and Tidal Surge installed at the Mauritius Meteorological
Services. The coastal communities of the Republic of Mauritius have at least 6 hours warning of
possible incoming storm surges. The Early Warning System for storm and tidal surge is currently
being extended to include the wave, swell and inundation component. Three wave rider buoys
have also been procured for deployment at sea to enhance the present early warning system as it
will provide real time wave data to the present Early Warning System.
432. A National Multi Hazard Emergency Alert System is being developed for Mauritius,
Rodrigues, Agalega and St Brandon is meant to alert the public prior to and during a disaster. It
will also improve regional infrastructure, policies and protocols to strengthen our capacity to
predict and prepare for emergencies and natural hazards, thereby improving resilience and disaster
reducing risks and losses.
433. Mauritius Telecom has launched a new application ‘my.t weather app’. It is a common
platform which provides information such as weather conditions as well as alerts on impending
dangers and calamities in Mauritius. Information disseminated through the application include:
Weather Bulletin, Sea Info, Rainfall Weather Forecast, Cyclone Tracks, Cyclone Bulletins, Major
Incidents, Traffic Bulletin, Education Bulletin, and Emergency Info.
434. A Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) has also been adopted. The CAP is a standard message
format designed for all-media, all-hazard and communications over any and all media. To ensure
that all Mauritian citizens and tourists obtain real-time information, alerts, warnings and advisories
in times of emergencies and disasters, the government has developed an Emergency Alert App,
downloadable on Playstore and App store. The app was also declared 2019 Champion at the World
Summit on Information Society.
435. A modern refugee centre with all necessary amenities was completed at Quatre Soeurs which
can accommodate a maximum of 1000 evacuees in case of emergency. The Doppler Radar is
operational. It provides more precise information on intensity of rainfall and air turbulence.
436. The Government of Japan has been very generous in donating, through a grant aid of Rs 437
million, the “Doppler Weather Radar Observation Station” (DWROS) to Mauritius. The DWROS,
a first of its kind in the Indian Ocean region, is a most sophisticated tool that is of utmost necessity
for Small Island Developing States such as Mauritius and which became fully operational in March
2019.
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