Coastal, earthquake-prone regions should protect telecom assets from disasters, says Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure recommended in a report and policy brief issued this week that coastal States like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat must take steps to protect their telecom assets from natural disasters. Another important piece of infrastructure the report recommends is Cells on Wheels: these are base stations mounted on a vehicle that can serve an area with disrupted signals, and several States have these in short supply, the report says, calling for additional procurement and provisioning by telecom operators. Across all States, the report recommends drawing up a detailed list of telecom assets that were impacted, so that future disasters can benefit from better planning. “27% of telecommunication towers are vulnerable to high earthquake hazards across the country,” a policy brief accompanying the report said, adding that, “there is a need to ensure sufficient seismic resilience of these assets.” The report also recommends offering parametric insurance, a form of disaster relief that can be released to operators who suffer equipment damage in the event of a disaster.