UNESCO IOC has received funding from the UNESCAP Multi-donor Voluntary Trust Fund to conduct a project called “Assessment and Awareness of Makran Tsunami Hazards. The project was designed to build capacity in Iran and Pakistan for palaeotsunami studies of the Makran region and collect eyewitness accounts from the tsunami that impacted the Makran coast in 1945.
The project started with Preparedness and Awareness workshops in Iran and Pakistan. In holding the workshops, the ICG/IOTWS Secretariat worked closely with the host agency in the respective countries. The workshop in Iran was hosted by the Iranian National Institute of Oceanography (INIO) in Tehran, 1-5 May 2010, while the workshop in Pakistan was hosted by the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) Karachi from 19-23 July 2010.
The aim of the 5-day workshops was to introduce the history of tsunamis in the Makran region, explore the potential for future events, and showcase some best practices in awareness and education which have been applied in other countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and others. The trainers for the workshop included international tsunami experts from India, Indonesia, Thailand, USA, and Yemen.
To follow on from the preparedness workshops, a field workshop along the Makran coast will be conducted in Iran, 9-20 October 2010. The field workshop will comprise of palaeotsunami survey and interview of eyewitness accounts of 1945 Makran tsunami. Results of the workshop will be incorporated into tsunami modeling studies, risk assessments and educational materials.