The magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami of 28 November 1945 in the eastern segment of the Makran subduction zone resulted in reported causalities of a few hundred to 4,000 in India and Pakistan, with damage also being reported in Iran and Oman, as per different sources of information. The more recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake and tsunami of 24 September 2013 is a reminder of the potential near field tsunami threat to vulnerable coastal communities in the region. A powerful earthquake in the Makran region could generate destructive tsunami waves capable of inundating coastlines within 20 minutes, thus making it imperative for the North Western Indian Ocean States (India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, UAE, and Yemen) to be well prepared to respond.

To cope with near-field tsunamis it is considered important to strengthen the capacities of the communities at risk towards self-protection. In this regard, it is important that communities have a high level of awareness and sufficient knowledge to react independently and properly during a tsunami threat, while tsunami early warning is complementary and essential, especially in cases where the earthquake was not felt strongly but has the potential to trigger a tsunami (slow earthquakes).

It has been recognized that most coastal communities of the tsunami prone region are still not well prepared to respond appropriately to a near-field tsunami threat.

The UNESCAP project is supporting North West Indian Ocean countries on the improvement of warning services at National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC) level and the organization of the national warning chains via National/Local Disaster Management Agencies (N/LDMO) to assure timely warnings and rapid response with due emphasis on self-protection for near source events. The project provides technical assistance to adapt the national warning chains and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), through national consultative activities and regional SOP training/workshop.

To strengthen the role of local stakeholders in the tsunami early warning process in Iran, a webinar will be held on 28^th June 2021 to discuss the options for tsunami early warning in the provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan & Baluchistan and to provide relevant information on the national and international framework conditions.