Draft Guidelines on Disaster Management

8/3/2019 Draft Guidelines on Disaster Management

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RADIO DIVISIONISSUE : XXX 2006

DRAFT GUIDELINES ON

DISASTER MANAGEMENT(with reference to Telecommunications)

No: SD/DMT-01/01.XXX 2006

TEC

TELECOMMUNICATION ENGINEERING CENTRE

KHURSHID LAL BHAVAN, JANPATH

NEW DELHI-110001

INDIA

All rights reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without written permission from theTelecommunication Engineering Centre New Delhi.


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Abbreviations :

APT Asia Pacific TelecommunityBS Base Station

BSC Base Station Controller

BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam LimitedBTS Base Station TerminalDGM Deputy General Manager

DOT Department of Telecommunications

ETSI European Tecommunication Standardisastion InstituteGIS Geographical Information Service

GM General Manager

GMPCS Global Mobile Personal Communication by SatelliteGSM Group Special Mobile

HAM Help All mankind

ISP Internet Service Provider

ITU International Telecommunication UnionMHz Mega Hertz

MOU Memorandum of Understanding

MSC Mobile Switching CentrePABX Private Automatic Branch Exchanges

PCO Public Calling Office

PMRTS Public Mobile Radio Terminal ServicePSTN Public Switched Telephone Network

SDCA Short Distance Charging Area

TAX Trunk Automatic Exchange

UHF Ultra High Frequency

VHF Very High FrequencyVSAT Very Small Aperture Terminal

WLL Wireless in Local Loop


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Draft Guidelines on Disaster Management

(With reference to Telecommunications)

CHAPTER 1

DISASTER : INTRODUCTION AND CLASSIFICATION

1.0 BackgroundIndian sub-continent has experienced a number of natural disaster & calamities like earth

quake, cyclone, flood, drought, famine, fire etc. causing loss of life, damage to property& disruption of essential services like failure of telecommunication, interruption in

electricity & water supply, disruption of transportation, loss in agriculture fields etc. The

maintenance of essential services such as telecommunication is required for overalldisaster management including search and rescue and thus Telecom services may be

termed as the life-line of all such operations.

As disaster may occur suddenly with or without warning, disaster prevention is betterthan disaster response because it will be difficult even for the best measures to replace

disaster preparedness, and even the highest level of preparedness will never cover all

aspects of disaster response.

1.1 Scope

This document deals with the telecommunication aspects of the Disaster Management,

that include telecom equipment & services as well as telecom infrastructure such as

Telecom equipment buildings and towers. It is understood that disaster resistant

telecom infrastructure is a pre-requisite to withstand the effect of such disaster forproviding uninterrupted telecom services.

The following factors, vital for the management of telecom services during disaster, areconsidered in the present Standard:

(i) advance preparedness, availability of equipment, administrative actions, drill,preparedness of staff to spring into actions and coordination with other agencies

etc.;

(ii) availability of redundancy in the communication network system so that if onenetwork fails, the alternate will be available;

(iii)role of wireless, satellite / radio connectivity with the key functionaries in theevent of disaster;

(iv)suitable resistant measures for the telecom infrastructure such as telecombuildings and towers, which include design as well as maintenance aspects.


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Further considering the prime importance of telecommunication during disaster, it is

imperative that, as part of the disaster management plan itself, a mechanism for the

periodic review of all recommended measures shall be established and ResponsibleAuthority shall strictly monitor the compliance of the same.

1.2 Definitions

For the purpose of the present document, the following definitions shall be applicable:

Disaster: Disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of society, posing asignificant, widespread threat to human life, health, property and/or the environment,

whether caused by accident, nature or human activity and whether developing suddenly

or as a result of complex, long term processes.

Disaster mitigation: Disaster mitigation means measures designed to prevent, predict,

prepare for , respond to, monitor and/ or mitigate the impact of disaster.

Public Protection Communications: It is the Communications used by responsible

agencies and organizations dealing with maintenance of law and order, safety of life and

property, and emergency situations.

Disaster Relief Communications: It is the Communications used by agencies and

organizations dealing with a serious disruption of the functioning of society, posing asignificant, widespread threat to human life, health, property or the environment, whether

caused by accident, nature and human activity, and whether developing suddenly or asthe complex, long term processes.

1.3 Classification of Disaster

Indian Sub continent is highly vulnerable to natural disaster and calamities due to unique

and widely varying geographical, and environmental conditions. It has witnessed anumber of disaster in the recent past, including Orissa Super Cyclone in 1999, Bhuj Earth

Quake in 2001 and Tsunami in 2004, in which thousands of people lost their lives.

Different types of disaster strike at different part of country with varying intensity.

1.3.1 Whereas water, wind and environmental related disaster are fairly predictable in

advance, geological related disaster (viz. earthquake , tsunami etc.) and man made

disasters never come up with advance information. All such disaster disrupt theinfrastructure and as a result, the telecom services may be affected and in extreme cases,

even may remain interrupted for a long time.

The disaster, affecting telecommunication network, can be broadly divided into three

categories:

Wide spread disaster

Local disaster


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Manmade disaster

1.3.1.1 Wide spread disaster like high cyclone in coaster areas, local earthquakes of

high intensity, land slides in hilly area, sea erosion, dam burst, Dam failure, mine fire etc.

The wide spread geological related disaster of this category are generally not predictable

in much advance. Cyclone in coastal area some times crosses the limits of previousrecords as was witnessed in Gujrat in 1998 and during super cyclonic storm in coastal

district of Orissa on 29th

October 1999 with wind speed more than 250 km. The tsunamiof year Dec. 2004 affected a large parts of the sea coast of South India. In the case of

very high intensity earthquakes of Latur in 1998 and Gujrat on 26th Jan 2001, large scale

damage to buildings, roads, telecommunication infrastructure has been caused coupledwith extreme suffering to human beings.

1.3.1.2 Local disaster like flood due to heavy rains, land slides in hill area, drought,

tornadoes, hurricanes/hailstorm/cloud burst and fire in jungles, epidemic, chemical andindustrial and nuclear disaster.

The disaster of this category are small disaster like floods due to heavy rains, land slide inhilly areas and fire in jungles. Some disaster of this category are predictable in advance

like floods due to heavy rains. The meteorological department can predict rains, and

cyclones and warn the people accordingly. In this case, mostly communication onterrestrial line fails while radio and satellite based system works. The radio and satellite

links could be utilized in such cases.

1.3.1.3 Manmade disaster like air crash, train accident, war activities, riots, industrialaccident, radio active leakage and ecological disasters etc. The local disaster of this

category is man-made. The management of such disaster is done by the operating agency,

police and rescue workers etc.

1.3.1.4 All disaster typically have grave impact on telecommunications supply and

demand by creating additional temporary needs at a time of reduced availability andoverload of permanent networks. For those responsible for the provision of

telecommunications, this means to make best use of what remains available while at the

same time building up additional capacity.

1.4 Impact of DisasterAll disaster have great impact on telecommunication supply and demand by creatingadditional temporary needs at a time of reduced availability and overload of the

permanent networks. In such situations, the operating agencies have not only to make

best use of available telecommunication networks but may have to build up additional;capacity.

The impact of disaster on telecommunication infrastructure is manifold, e.g. the buildingscollapse, power supply gets disrupted, roads are blocked, fire breaks out, telephone

exchanges get overloaded, towers get twisted, cables get washed away etc.


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1.5 Role of telecom in the aftermath of Disaster

The occurrence of disaster events cannot be prevented fully but their impact can bereduced by preparing appropriate advance operational plans, establishing warning

systems, training emergency response personnel, educating citizens and testingemergency procedures.

Information collection and communication to disaster area is most important to extend

help in that area. Telecom plays this important role by communicating and disseminating

disaster information to residents as promptly as possible, as well as ensuring therestoration of a speedy communication system after a disaster occurs. This requires

establishment of links between disaster coordinators, telecommunication authorities and

service providers on each level.

As the Telecommunication is the LIFE-LINE for the Rescue and Relief operation, it

should be planned to withstand the effect of Disaster for providing uninterrupted services.


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CHAPTER 2

DISASTER MANAGEMENT: TELECOMMUNICATION

EQUIPMENT & NETWORK

2.0 Telecom technology for Disaster Management: Key Considerations

For playing an effective role in the disaster management, the following considerations areof vital importance for the use of telecommunication technology:

When disaster events occur, getting the best out of high technology based

telecommunication systems and infrastructure requires national, regional andinternational cooperation.

The disaster mitigation communication is required in support of measures to deal with

emergency situation of disaster where resources or expertise are required beyondthose available from public safety service where the extent and duration of the event

are unknown.

Disaster relief telecommunication network system should enable smooth informationtransmission among the central government, state government, disaster prevention-

related agencies, local municipal entities, and hospitals, schools and other public

institutions.

Systems for emergency warning and disaster relief need to make use of existing

telecommunication and radiocommunication systems as well as new applications of

existing broadcasting, amateur, mobile, satellite and fixed services in setting upwarning systems and to provide information response systems.

Responses to large disaster events are likely to involve a large number of relief

agencies and relief teams which create severe pressure on requirements forinteroperability and cooperation including frequency coordination of

radiocommunication systems.

As interoperability of radiocommunication services is of fundamental importance forefficient and effective disaster relief operations, Harmonised frequency use has beenidentified as one approach that leads to improved interoperability.

2.1 Present International Standards and documents on Disaster Management

World wide, Disaster management has been accorded very high importance. ITU,APT, ETSI and other organisations are also actively working in this area for framing

Standards/Recommendations.

2.1.1 ITU Documents/Recommendations for Disaster


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2.1.1.1 The ITU has recognised national / international use of radio communication in

case of disaster and administrations have been urged to take all practical steps to facilitate

the rapid deployment and effective use of telecommunication resources for disastermitigation and disaster relief operations by reducing and, where possible, removing

regulatory barriers and strengthening transborder cooperation between States as reflectedin Articles 40 and 46 of its Constitution and in resolution 209 (Mob-87).

ITU radiocommunication Sector is to continue to study, on aspects of

radiocommunications that are relevant to disaster mitigation and relief operations, such as

decentralized means of communications that are appropriate and generally available,including amateur radio facilities and mobile portable satellite terminals.

Some important Recommendations of ITU are as follows:

i) Amateur Radio

administrations are encouraged to include the amateur services in their

national disaster plans and telecommunication assistance informationinventories;

administrations are encouraged to reduce and, where possible, remove,barriers to the effective utilization of the amateur services for disaster

communications;

amateur and disaster relief organizations are encouraged to develop

memoranda of understanding (MOU) between themselves and with

administration as well as to cooperate together with.

ii) National disaster preparedness plan

countries to develop a single national disaster telecommunication

preparedness plan to identify existing resources available to provideemergency communication, outline steps needed to mitigate damage to such

resources, establish means of providing temporary service, and make

provisions for disaster recovery;

iii) Cooperation between organizations

memorandum of understanding, in support of the national plan,to be

exchanged between government and non-government organizations, includingcooperation;

iv) Exercise and drills

disaster communications networks be exercised regularly under simulatedemergency conditions, such as loss of power mains or base stations;

v) Reporting

reports of strengths, weaknesses and suggested improvements resulting from

such exercises be distributed to interested parties.

vi) Disaster communication resources


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a) Amateur and amateur satellite services

amateur services be recognized as disaster communications resources,

particularly useful during the first few days of a disaster prior to the arrival of

relief organizations. They are capable of being reconfigured as required forshort-range and international radiocommunication, independent of other

telecommunication services, and capable of providing qualified operators;

during and in the aftermath of disasters, the amateur services be used fordisaster welfare traffic to relay messages on behalf of concerned relatives and

friends of people in the affected area.

b) Land mobile services

steps be taken to strengthen cellular and other public mobile communication

systems against natural disasters, to provide redundancy, and to makearrangements for priority and pre-emptive access during emergencies;

provisions be made for intercommunication between non-public land mobile

systems such as public safety, local government and private mobile unitslikely to be used in disasters.

2.1.1.2 ITU Recommendation ITU-R F.1105 on Transportable Fixed

Radiocommunication Equipment for Relief Operation deals with various typestransportable wireless equipment and their broad characteristics.

2.1.1.3 ITU-D has also issued a Handbook on Disaster Communication againstQuestion No. 16/2. This document deals with this subject in a comprehensive manner

with specific needs of developing countries.

2.1.2 APTs WorkSince the 9thASTAP in Mar 2005, a separate Expert Group has been working in this area.

APT has recently come out with 2 draft Recommendations :

i) Radiocommunication Systems for Early Warning and Disaster Operations

ii) Radiocommunication Systems for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations

2.1.3

ETSIs work

ETSI has been dealing with subject in a very detailed manner through Emergency

Communications and homeland Security committee. Its Project MESA is defining the

specifications for digital mobile broadband technology and developing reference

architecture and the derivations of system technical requirements.

2.2 Long Term Planning Measures


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Considering that the Telecommunication is the LIFE LINE for the Rescue and Relief

operations, the telecom infrastructure should be planned, taking into account a long term

perspective, to withstand the effect of Disaster so as to provide uninterrupted service.This may require broad conformance with a number of planning measures as well as

optimal capacity utilization & redundancy in the network.

As careful planning of telecommunication network can avoid severe damages,

telecommunication in the country should be well planned taking into account all

precautionary measures which will reduce and mitigate the effect of disasters. Thus

Telecommunication network planner should study the possibility of natural disaster in thearea of concern.

2.2.1 Transmission & Access Planning

In coastal areas, optical fibre cable for junction and trunk working should besufficiently away (say 25 km) from sea coast and river beds and should be laid at

proper depth.

The microwave routes in cyclone prone areas should be avoided and in unavoidablecircumstances, should be placed far from the coastal line (say25 km). Further, the

microwave tower base foundation should be strictly made as per soil conditions.

Alternative telecommunication links such as SDH system on optical fibre cableshould be planned with alternative routing.

All the district headquarters, not connected on SDH ring so far, should be

progressively connected on SDH ring within a time frame of (say) 2 years so that in

case of failure of one route, the city may not be cut off from rest of the country.

Further, media diversity/route diversity should be used, if not used so far, within atime frame of (say) 2 years, to avoid total cut off from the rest of the country.

The disaster affects the telecommunication infrastructure and telecommunicationnetwork. The anxiety calls in large number from different places to disaster area

severely overload the telecom system and creates congestion. The overload created by

anxiety calls and repeated attempts in disaster case, some times exceeds theengineered overload capacity of the telecom system. The repeated attempts of callers

,though of short duration, make the common control server to work more and creates

overload in common control equipment. Effective Guidelines should be prescribed by

Service operators to avoid congestion during such overload periods.

The incoming and outgoing cable for a station should be laid on different roads and ifit is not possible at least on different sides of the road.

Mobile systems in access side of telecommunication system should be encouragedespecially in disaster prone areas such as zone 4 for earth quake and coastal areas for

cyclone.


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Sufficient battery back up (for 8-12 hours) should be provided at telecom equipmentcentres( depending on the power situation at that location and strategic position of

the telecom centre ), especially in disaster prone areas.

2.2.2 Redundancy in Infrastructure

To provide redundancy, ALL level I TAXs (as per DoT nomenclature) or theirequivalent, as well as other important TAXs, large interconnect exchanges and,transmission media of such stations, should be planned at two different

geographically apart locations, with interconnection media of sufficient capacity.

Also, the two transmission centers should also have long distance transmission mediaindependent of each other.

Major exchanges (say of 10 K and above), big MSCs, important Internet nodes etc.

should have connectivity to one more TAX/ Gateway MSC ( other than the one towhich it is required to be parented) as the case may be.

2.2.3 Civil infrastructure & other measures The building structure should follow the norms for seismic resistance depending on

seismic zones as well as proper building codes.

The plinth should be kept high in coastal and flood prone areas. Building should bemade earthquake resistance ones.

The equipment should be installed at adequate height in the building especially in

coastal and flood prone areas. The drop wire should be avoided a far as possible and

DP should be indoor.

2.2.4 General Control room telephone numbers, separate for incoming and outgoing call, be

standrised for whole country which could be accessed from other stations by dialingon STD.

A telephone directory of Amateur Radio HAM operators should be made available up

to district level.( Details are given Chapter 3)

2.3 Creation of Integrated Database

A centralised database at circle/state level should be maintained, with access to

Central/Corporate office, containing information about various types of communication

resources available in different parts of the circle, GIS information of area, other differentnetworks, history of disaster in that area and corrective action, staff duties and training

schedule, list of supporting agencies/industries/ individuals etc. This information

database should also be accessible to district administration.

Further, as the long term planning requires integration of services by various agencies,

other relief & rescue aspects such as information about geographical maps, food supplies,needed material supply should also be included in the database for helping other agencies


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and human resources to run the emergency services. This requires distributed databasesfor fast recovery and restoration. The database should be structured in such a way that

once place of disaster is fed, the complete details of resources available around the region

for quick response are provided. The mechanism for accessing such databases should bevery simple, user friendly with the feature of multi-user working.

As the availability of telecom connectivity may become difficult during such periods andconsidering the multi-vendor scenario in India, suitable mandatory agreements should be

in place between all the service providers for providing access to such databases during

emergency situations.

2.4 MOU with other Agencies

As the disaster management requires cooperation among a number of relief agencies, theMOU among such agencies should be made mandatory as a part of licensing conditions.

Such special arrangements should automatically come into force immediately after

occurrence of a disaster. Some of the important agencies for MOUs are as follows:

DoT & Telecom Operators should have MOU for emergency communication withamateur radio clubs.

Telecom Operators should have MOU with other service providers such as cable

TV, ISP, GMPCS, Cellular Mobile Telephone, HAM, VSAT etc. They should alsohave such MOU among themselves to share the facilities in case of emergencies.

The licensing conditions of all service providers should be suitably amended to

mandatory share the infrastructure in area of disaster.

Through agreements between Operators and Airlines, immediate airlifting of

telecom equipment during disaster is possible. Further, as per requirement,Helicopter service for carrying telecom equipment to the affected area may be

availed of. These measures are critical since telecom connectivity is a prerequisitefor effective relief and rescue work

The licensing conditions should have provision for entering into such MOU within a

specified time period ( say 2-3 years) of launching of the services in a circle, failing

which suitable action should be prescribed.

2.5 Organisational Set-up Measures

An effective organisational set-up at all levels viz. Central, State and District is veryimportant for implementing and monitoring the disaster management plan.

2.5.1 Central/Corporate office level: All telecom operators should designate officers,working in the Corporate office & part of the top management team, for coordination

with the DoT HQ for disaster related matters. At least two officers should be named, one

principal and the other one alternate. Further, an internal standing disaster managementcommittee should be set up at Corporate HQ with members from Planning, Operations,


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Switching, Mobile, Finance, Transmission wings etc, for overall coordination &management.

2.5.2 State/Circle level: Every Telecom operator shall have standing DisasterManagement committees at state/circle level.The committee will be headed by the

state/circle chief of that Operator, who shall also coordinate with DoT during suchsituations. Other members may be Circle level top senior officers (say of the rank ofGeneral Manager) such as GM (Mtce), GM (Project), Chief Engineer (Electrical), Chief

Engineer (Civil), GM (Finance), as well as representatives from other operators such as

Cellular, PMRTS, Basic, HAM etc for better inter-operator coordination. Operation and

Disaster Coordinator with this committee shall be done by each District Head of thatTelecom Operator. This committee shall look after over all disaster management in the

circle.

Further every Telecom Operators should have a well defined organizational structure for

disaster management at this level and senior officers ( say of the level of GM/DGM ) for

Disaster Database and Disaster Operation should be designated .

2.5.3 District level: Each district should have a similar standing committee under the

chairmanship of the District Telecom Head and district level members.

2.5.4 All the above standing committees shall meet at least once in 6 months to review

the preparedness and readiness for any kind of natural calamity.

2.5.5 The licensing conditions should have mandatory provisions for having such set upas given above within a specified time period ( say 2-3 years) of launching of the services

in a circle, failing which suitable action should be prescribed.

2.6 Technological Options during Disaster

In the event of disaster, the most urgent need is restoration within minimum time. Therestoration of telecommunication is divided into three categories viz. emergency

solution, restoration period solution and permanent solution.

The wide spread disaster like cyclone, earth quake, drought epidemic etc are to beattended to on large scale. In case of cyclone, earth quake etc. total failure of

communication links may occur. There is destruction of human lives and property. In this

case emergency telecommunication is a prerequisite for carrying out rescue and reliefwork, information broadcasting, collection of needed material/data, contacting different

agencies such as police, administration, medical facilities etc. Occurrence of such disaster

need the communication contact immediately. The emergency communication is possibleby:

- Satellite telephone e.g. Inmarsat Telephone


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- Amateur Radio

- VSAT service in disaster area

- PMRTS (Public Mobile Radio Trunk Service) namely Radio Taxi service

- Van containing Mobile equipment such as WLL, GSM, etc. along withtransmission system and switching equipment

Satellite telephones work using direct Satellite connectivity. The same shall be used for

communication during disaster. All State/ Circle telecom Heads and district heads shouldbe provided with at least (say) five and three satellite telephones respectively. The state

administration should also have satellite telephones.

Through MOU, agreement and mutual understanding, the amateur radio clubs shall be

made a part of disaster management programme. This will facilitate to immediately use

their facilities in an effective manner without waiting for any further coordination. Atelephone directory of Amateur Radio HAM operators should be prepared by DoT and

made available up to district level.

Services of VSAT networks, configured for closed user group (CUG) operation couldalso be made use of a PABX, which could be connected to PSTN network using VSAT

in disaster area. (Fig-1 at Annex-1)

2.7 Restoration of Communication

It may so happen that exchanges/MSC/BTS/Internet nodes/transmission lines are not

working immediately after occurrence of a disaster. The permanent restoration of

telecommunication takes time as re-building is a long process. In this period, it is veryimportant to have temporary communication solution for relief operation.

It is assumed that satellite telephones and amateur radios are already working andtherefore they can be used for information exchange for sending relief telecommunication

equipment in disaster area.

The following technological approaches can be followed:

Amateur Radio Service

The Amateur Radio Service operators networks in all ranges of concern for disaster

communications, from local VHF networks to long distance HF and satellite links. Most

of the considerations in the following section apply in principle to all disastercommunications radio networks

Amateur Radio operators can take upon themselves the public service role as and whenrequested, and they do so in times of disaster. Many of the characteristic of the amateur


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radio service are such that they can assist to respond to requests for disastercommunications services. These characteristics include the operation of highly

independent and flexible networks while often using very limited resources.

This permits amateur radio to be of service in disaster communications in several ways.

Firstly, it provides a cadre of trained operators, many with superior technical andoperational skills. These operators are able to use radios under field conditions and, mostimportant, to make them works. Secondly, amateurs already have in place, in many parts

of the world, an existing core of stations loosely configured for local, regional and inter-

continental radio communications.

WLL

The relief equipment could be transported in an air conditioned van. The van should havebuilt-in power supply, battery and generator (Fig-2 at Annex-1). The required equipment

is an Exchange of (say)1000 lines having V 5.2 interface. The V5.2 interface is connected

to Base Station (BS). WLL antenna is installed on top of the van. The subscribers aregiven hand held terminals and Mobile PCOs could also be setup.

The exchanges junction E1 lines are connected to nearby working exchange either by

radio system (within 30 Km) or by optical fibre cable.

There could be some difficulties in installing roof top antenna on microwave tower. A

collapsible/ready to assemble on site microwave tower could be taken to disaster area tosolve this problem.

GSM/Cellular Mobile Telephone system

The other possibility is extension of citys Mobile Switching center (MSC) by installingBTS on van. The van with emergency equipment could be taken as near as possible to

disaster place. If cellular mobile telephone network is working near the disaster hit area,

AC van containing BTS equipment, 3 panel antennas, and 15 GHz radio system/OLTEfor E1 line connection to BSC could be taken to disaster area. The subscribers are given

hand held terminals. Mobile PCOs could also be setup.

The BTS is connected to nearby working BSC either by radio system (within 30 Km) orby pre-terminated optical fibre cable. The AC van should be equipped with arrangement

for built in power supply, battery, generator etc. There could be some difficulties in

installing roof top antenna or microwave tower. A collapsible/ready to assemble on sitemicrowave tower could be taken to disaster area.

For provisioning of 2 Mbps connectivity to WLL based equipment or Cellular MobileTelephone based equipment, satellite IDR with 2.4 m antenna in Ku band or 3.8 m

antenna in C band can be used instead of Microwave Radio or optical fibre (Fig-3 at

Annex-1). This mobile station should have capability to up link audio, data and videobroadcasting information.


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Satellite Systems

One way to improve the chances that an emergency link will remain operational during adisaster, is to connect it via satellite. This will make it free from both a failure of

terrestrial infrastructure and a congestion of the PSTN. VSAT is one such suitabletechnology.

Mobile Satellite System

Presently, the most widely used mobile satellite system is the Inmarsat system. TheInmarsat system consist of Geo-stationary satellites, which connect mobile terminals

through Land Earth Stations (LES) to the PSTN and other networks. A communication

link includes at least one LES, which is the actual service provider.

Standard M and mini-M terminal for Inmarsat applications

Mini-m terminals are about the size and weight of a laptop computer and standard M

terminals the size of a briefcase. They enable connections with any PSTN subscriber

world wide, including other mobile satellite terminals.

They can not be used in a vehicle when in motion unless equipped with special antennas

compensating for the movement of the vehicle.

Others standards such as standard C, standard B and standard A may also be used

depending upon their availability.

Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS)

The advantages of Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS)

versus other mobile satellite systems is that the terminals are very small and lightweight,

about the size and weight of a cell phone.

Terminals will be of dual mode type and able to connect to either satellite or terrestrial

service. Normally, users program the terminal to connect to a cellular system when that

is available but automatically connect to the satellite system when cellular coverage doesnot exist. During disaster, it will be directly get connected to satellite.

The effective use of regional mobile satellite systems is possible to restoretelecommunications services in the disaster hit areas. Services of regional satellite such as

ACeS can be utilised.

Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Networks


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VSAT are mostly designed for fixed installation, but Flyway systems are available fordisaster recovery purpose. Further developments are expected is enhance their

applications in disaster communications.

For serious reliable long-range communications, VSAT is a superior system. The

terminal equipment needs to be protected from physical damage. The dish in particularshould be placed where it is not exposed to flying debris during storms, while stillmaintaining its aim at the satellite. Following a storm or an earthquake, an adjustment in

the position of the antenna may be necessary, and special equipment in addition to the

actual VSAT terminal is required for this purpose.

VSAT systems connect the PBX directly to another location via satellite link. This means

immunity from failure of the ground services as long as the earth station remains

operational and has independent power.

The possibility of use of VSAT based PABX is also useful as it provides wide

connectivity. Land/satellite mobile communication with voice, data and video facility arebest suited for rescue. Further restoration work is possible with advanced storage of the

required rebuild equipment.

The Internet

The internet provides support for Major operations and functions of organizations,

irrespective of distances between headquarters and field offices. For governmentaldisaster workers, access to the Internet permits continuous updates of disaster

information, accounts of human and material resources available for response, and state-of-the-art technical advice.

- Following a disaster, it may not be possible to access direct, high bandwidthconnectivity.

- The integration of wireless (including satellite-based) technologies and of high-speedcapability on wire connections will provide disaster managers with access to information

resources. The personnel at the site of an event has the primary task to save lives.

Specific information might greatly enhance the efficient and effective use of available

resources.

- Sending and receiving e-mail and using web-based directories to locate colleagues,

suppliers, governmental and non-governmental organizations who can provide assistance.

- Tracking news and weather information from a variety of government, academic and

commercial providers.

- Participating in worldwide discussion lists to exchange lessons learned and coordinate

activities


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Other issues related to Equipment Needs

The design of a mobile van containing telecom equipment should be standardised forprovisioning of immediate connectivity to the affected area. The van should have

WLL/Cellular mobile equipment, an exchange and microwave/satellite system for

connectivity to network. The van should have fax, voice, telephone etc. forinformation exchanges. Provision should also be there for carrying logistics such as

food, water shelter inside the van. SMPS power supply with sufficient Battery bankshould also be available in the van. Engine alternator sets of sufficient capacity with

diesel storage should follow the van.

Since there may be unavailability of power for long duration at the time of disaster

(like cyclone, floods) in almost all the affected installation, mobile generator setshould be readily available in fully tested condition, which should be moved to the

strategic locations immediately, both in 30 KVA trolley mounted and portable 3.5

KVA capacity with diesel tank for 24 hours capacity.

It shall be made mandatory for all Telecom service Operator, within (say) 3 years oflaunching their services in a circle, to:

- have MOU, agreement or mutual understanding with the amateur radio club (wherever such clubs are operating. This will help ineffectively utilizing HAM network

during initial phase of restoration of communication.

- have at least one mobile van i.e. WLL/GSM type with transmission connectivity

stationed at all state capitals as well as at all zonal/regional headquarters of states This

should ensure that the van can be rushed from this location to any of districts of thatzone/region in shortest possible time, that should be 4-5 hours normally. In case, the area

is more disaster prone or the above time period limit cannot be met by keeping the vans

at the above locations, additional vans shall be placed for a group of 4-5 districts(depending on districts size & location) and stationed at a district HQ ( within that

group) having good transmission connectivity.

- have minimum of 2 INMARSAT phones, 2 GMPCS telephones and 2 VSATterminals with each district telephone unit.

2.8 Measures on Disaster OccurrenceAs Indiais prone to frequent natural calamities, if the past experience is any indicator, the

following should be strictly conformed to by all Operators:

Control rooms shall be set up at National/central, State/circle and district level formajor disaster, at State/circle and district level for minor disaster and at district level

for local disturbance. Control room shall start operating immediately on theoccurrence of a disaster without waiting for any instructions.

Immediate action is required for opening of help line and public phone booths

with/without charges (preferably without charges) so that during disaster/emerging


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situation, the same could be made operational on a short notice at hospitals, controlrooms, rehabilitation centers, district administration, railway/bus stations, air ports

etc. in the affected area.

On getting the information about damage in a particular district , a team should be

deputed on the spot at the earliest to assess the extent of damage and to planrestoration activities. The team should consist of members from various telecom

fields such as mobile (GSM/WLL etc.), switching , transmission, civil, electricalexperts etc. This team should be self contained (should carry water, food [for at least

2 days], blankets, bed, satellite phone, mobile phone etc). They should open the

control room in affected district.

Based on feedback of the team, the assessment of the situation is to made and thentelecom links should be restored in a well planned manner on top most priority to

avoid delay.

Further teams are to be deputed from circle. One district can be given responsibilitiesto restore communication of 1 tehsil/SDCA. (The team should consist of officers

from various telecom fields such as mobile, switching/transmission, external plan,

civil and electrical etc. and may be preferably drawn from nearby unaffected tehsil /

SDCA/district).

All teams, deputed for restoration activities, should proceed with self containedinfrastructure (vehicles/Stores/Logistics requirements like food, water, tents, beds

blankets etc.

Rerouting plan for junction failure on optical fibre should be made, up-dated and

followed.

All level I TAXs, major telecom central offices such as MSCs, Internet nodes,

Exchanges etc. to be manned round the clock.

The MSCs/TAXs/BTSs/Internet nodes etc. are likely to get congested due to heavytraffic in view of rumours/news etc. In such cases, effective traffic management isrequired and in the case of exchanges, local exchanges of major city can directly be

pertained to other TAXs by passing the local TAX. Action may be taken to avoid

overload as per the document titled Traffic Overload Management in Telecom

System .

VSATs can be deployed for immediate communication.

2.9 Training, Drill and Reporting

The quick response of managing suddenly occurring disaster calls for availability of

trained staff and operating telecommunication restoration equipment. New staff membersare often expected to learn on the job from predecessors or peers, but in respect of


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disaster communications, this approach is not sufficient. Periodic training also ensures acontinuous awareness of the additional demands which each individual might be

confronted with in case of disaster. Disaster response depends on teamwork. Training

exercises including all potential partners are therefore important.

The trainers need to make the exercise realistic enough to expose weaknesses inprocedure or equipment, but at the same time simple enough for newcomers to learn howoperations are supposed to work.

Taking equipment out of storage and testing them during training exercises are major

contributions to maintaining a readiness state.

It is necessary that the equipment meant for restoration should be kept in working

condition. The staff training on simulated disaster is required. The method of restorationof telecom infrastructure should be a regular management feature of

telecommunication.The last week of April is fixed as Plan Updating Week and first

week of May is fixed as Plan Rehearsal Week. This shall be strictly complied with.

The training should also be imparted for setting control room, reporting to concern

authorities, database management and cooperation with various agencies.

2.10 Pilot Project

Pilot projects shall be taken up to assess the preparedness of existing communicationsnetwork to respond quickly to any disaster. The project should attempt to learn and

evaluate the background information on prevalent disaster in the country, problems andconstraints of disaster communications, existing operational structure and the equipment

and personnel involved. Disaster management plan may be updated as per the findings of

the pilot project to make it more realistic and effective. Considering the size of India aswell as its disaster susceptibility, at least one pilot project shall be taken up by each

Telecom Operator in each circle/state every year.

2.11 Operators Disaster Management Plan

A Disaster Management Plan, describing the compliance of the above measures as well

as other arrangements in this regard, shall be submitted by each Telecom Operator to theDoT HQ every year.


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CHAPTER 3

DISASTER MANAGEMENT: BUILDINGS AND TOWERS

3.0 GeneralIndia has witnessed a number of disasters in the recent past, including Orissa Super

Cyclone in 1999, Bhuj Earth Quake in 2001 and Tsunami in 2004, in which thousands of

people lost their lives. The maintenance of essential services such as telecommunicationis required for overall disaster management including search and rescue operations and

thus Telephone exchanges buildings and towers may be termed as life line buildings.

Disaster resistant civil infrastructure (i.e. buildings & towers) for telecom equipment is,therefore, required to withstand the effect of such disaster for providing uninterrupted

telecom services.

3.1 Objectives

i) The measures have been prepared keeping in view specifically the effects ofearthquake & cyclone on telecom buildings & towers. However, suitable resistant

measures for other natural calamities/disasters have also been incorporated in this

chapter wherever found appropriate.

ii) The earthquake is a pseudo force that depends on the inertia of structure & hence

related with the weight of the structure. In case of buildings, earthquake forces are

more predominant than wind forces. The objective of the earth quake resistantmeasures is to ensure, as far as possible, that structures are able to respond

without structural damage to earth quake shocks of moderate intensities and

without total collapse to earth quake shocks of heavy intensities.

iii) The tower is a skeleton structure, that is light in weight as compared to buildings,and hence effect of earthquake force is insignificant on tower. Wind forces, which

act on the projected elevation of the tower, become the dominant force for thedesign. Thus, the tower should be designed to withstand the effects of high wind

velocities and cyclones.

The following have been discussed in this chapter:

i) New Buildings

ii)

Rented Buildings

iii) Existing buildings/Structures

iv) Towers

3.2 New Buildings


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i) The new buildings shall be designed as per the latest applicable BIS Codesincluding IS 1893 Part I:2002 using Importance Factor of 1.5 for all types of

Buildings.

ii) The general principles to be observed in the construction of such earthquake

resistant buildings are Lightness, Continuity of Construction, avoiding/reinforcingProjecting and suspended parts, Building configuration, strength in variousdirections, stable foundations, Ductility of structure, Connection to non-structural

parts, provision of expansion & contraction and fire safety of structures.

iii) The past experience shows that for avoiding damage to buildings & human beingsduring the occurrence of such disasters, the architectural features such as

projected box type elevations and cantilever projections should be kept to bare

minimum length (say not more than 60 cm) and due care shall be taken to makethese features monolithic with the main structure.

iv)

The plinth should be kept high in coastal and flood prone areas commensuratewith High flood level.

v) The structural analysis /structural drawings/architectural drawings should be

preserved in soft copies in all structural design units. It should be mandatory so asto use this information in future whenever any revision takes place in BIS codes.

3.3 Rented Buildings

i) The Home Ministry D.O. No. 31/51/2003-NDM dated 25.11.03 terms the T.E.buildings & Towers as life -line buildings / infrastructureand lays down a time

frame for inspection and retrofitting of T.E. infrastructure in compliance with the

latest B.I.S codes.

ii) The IS: 1893 code for earthquake resistant design of structures gives Importance

factor of 1.5 for telephone exchanges buildings. However a number of telephoneexchanges in rural as well as in urban areas are working in rented buildings that

may not be even properly designed for static loads. It may be difficult to get B.I.S.

codes compliant adequately engineered buildings in most of the locations.

a) It is, therefore, suggested that buildings should be planned keeping inview the future needs with a long-term perspective. Further considering

the very high vulnerability in the seismic zones IV &V, buildings for

housing telecomequipments may be constructed preferably within 3 yearsspan in a phased time bound manner in these zones.

b) At the same time, in other seismic zones viz. II & III, the same approachshould be adoptedas a long term planning measure, to gradually house the

Telecommunication equipments in adequately engineered buildings only.


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iii) However, till adequately engineered Telecom Operator Owned building areavailable, buildings for housing telecom equipment may be taken on rent through

a two stage bidding process i.e. Technical bid & financial bid. In the first phase

of bid opening, only technical bids shall be opened without opening the financialbids. Subsequently, Technical Bids shall be evaluated on the basis of available

structural / architectural drawings as well as by physical inspection of thebuildings to ascertain suitability. Only technically suitable buildings shall beconsidered for opening of financial bids. This will help in ensuring the selection

of technically suitable building.

iv) In order to reduce damage to equipment & human lives during occurrence of suchdisasters, the buildings with masonry construction as well as buildings situated in

congested locations & narrow lanes may be avoided, if possible. The plinth of the

building should be high in coastal and flood prone areas. If the requirement of aroof top tower is also foreseen, the building with RCC framed construction shall

be selected.

3.4 Existing Buildings/Structures

As a rule, existing technical buildings in DoT (Now BSNL & MTNL) have been

designed & constructed in accordance with the B.I.S seismic codes in force at thetime of their construction.

There have been changes in the BIS Seismic Codes over the years which wouldnecessitate retrofitting of some of these buildings in accordance with the latest BIS

Codes. It is suggested that a three-phase strategy may be adopted to achieve thisobjective.

i) Phase I: The survey of the existing buildings should be undertaken in a timebound manner to make a comprehensive data-base as per Proforma A of Annex 3.

A period of one year can be fixed for such exercise and this data-base should be up-

dated from time to time & reviewed at least once in three years.

ii) Phase II: On the basis of this data-base, the Proforma B of Annex 3 can be

followed to take up retrofitting activities only in physically distressed buildings/

buildings non compliant with BIS Codes.

iii) Phase III: On completion of Phase II, the retrofitting in other buildings may be

taken up on a case-by-case basis.

3.5 Towersi) Towers in the cyclone prone areas shall be designed adequately to survive the

high wind speed.


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ii) For roof top tower, the Base should be adequately designed to transfer load oftower on RCC grid and further where steel beams are used for transfer of load,

adequate lateral strengthing shall be designed especially for web region.

iii) To ensure safety of towers during such disaster; it shall be made mandatory

for all telecom Operators to design the towers by incorporating the provisionsof latest B.I.S. codes of practice governing the design. A structural safetycertificate may be obtained from a qualified structural engineer and submitted

to a designated central unit of DoT, which shall be authorized to check any

design. And, if any design is found deficient in examination, appropriate

action shall be taken against the concerned operator.

iv) A data base of existing towers indicating year of construction shall be

prepared as per Proforma C of Annex 3 within one year for comprehensiveperiodical checking and maintenance of towers. Remedial action in this regard

may be taken as per Proforma D of Annex 3.

v) A regular maintenance exercise, as given in Annex 4, may be undertaken in

order to ensure that the tower shall perform functionally in accordance with its

designed life.

3.6 Training on Earth Quake Resistant DesignTraining on earth quake resistant should be imparted to all concerned officers ofthe Telecom Operator. This will help them in better appreciation of its importance

and taking necessary measures at all levels from selection of site to planning,design and construction for all type of structures.

References

1. Interim Report of High Powered Committee for preparation of Disaster

Management Plan under Chairmanship of Shri J.C. Pant2. Presentation to National Committee on Disaster Management by Dr APJ Abdul

Kalam Principal Scientific Advisor to the Govt. of India

3. Earthquake UN system Response Summary of action plan press release dated

6th

Feb 20014. Traffic overload Management in Telecom System

5. Crises Management committee report of Department of Telecommunication dated

22th

Feb 19996.

DoT Report on Management of Telecommunications during Disaster and

Natural Calamities, July 2001.

7. ITU-D study going document No. 2/167-E and No. 2/168-E8. Guidelines on Disaster Resistant Telecom Buildings and Towers - with Special

Reference to Earth quake & Cyclone, issued by DoT in 2005


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Annex--1

DisasterDisaster

AreaArea

LNALNA

HPAHPA

UP/DNUP/DN

Radio/Radio/

WirelineWirelinePABXPABX

Satellite based Solution

VSAT Terminal be Equipped on Vehicle with OtherVSAT Terminal be Equipped on Vehicle with Other

facilities of connecting to computer & Voice terminalfacilities of connecting to computer & Voice terminal

Temporary connectivity to PSTN networkTemporary connectivity to PSTN network

PersonalPersonal

StationStation

(PS)(PS)

Fig. 1

Radio

/

OLTE

SBMSBM BSCBSC BSBS

DisasterDisaster

AreaArea

AC VAN with BS equipment

Communication for 25 Km on Hand Set

Radio

OLTEBSBS

DisasterDisaster

AreaArea

AC VAN with BTS equipment

Communication for 30 Km on Hand Set

Land Mobile Network Solution during recovery

1. WLL1. WLL CDMA basedCDMA based

2. GSM based2. GSM based

ExchangeExchange

MSCMSC

RadioRadio

FibreFibre

RadioRadio

FibreFibreBSCBSC

WLL

Trmls

Cellular

Phone

Fig. 2


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IDR SBMSBM

XXBSCBSC BSBS

DisasterDisaster

AreaArea

AC VAN with BS equipment

Communication for 25 Km on

Hand Set

IDR BTSBTS

DisasterDisaster

AreaArea

AC VAN with BTS equipment

Communication for 30 Km on

Hand Set

Land Mobile Network & Satellite SolutionLand Mobile Network & Satellite Solution

Good during Recovery Process:Good during Recovery Process:

1. WLL based1. WLL based

2. GSM based2. GSM based

ExchangeExchangeIDRIDR

MSCMSC BSCBSC IDRIDR

AntennaAntenna

AntennaAntenna

WLL

Trmls

Cellular

Phone

IDRIDR Intermediate DataIntermediate Data

RateRateFig. 3