Cyclones, floods and landslides threaten telecom resilience: study

Why in the News

Disaster risk to telecom networks has been judged tower by tower, but a new assessment treats telecom resilience as a system-level challenge covering the whole network. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) mapped telecom towers in five high-risk States against cyclones, floods, storm surges, landslides and earthquakes.

What is the Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework?

1. What it is: The Disaster Risk and Resilience Assessment Framework checks each telecom tower’s location against hazard zones. It works like a flood map showing which houses on a street sit lowest.
2. Who built it: CDRI developed it with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
3. The coalition: CDRI is a New Delhi-based global coalition of 72 members drawn from national governments, international organisations and the private sector.
4. States assessed: The study covered Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, all rated high-risk.
5. The takeaway: Knowing which towers sit in danger zones lets operators protect the network before a disaster, not repair it after.

How exposed are towers in the coastal States?

1. Tamil Nadu winds: Of 48,416 towers mapped, 57% face high or very high cyclonic wind risk, concentrated in Chennai, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur.
2. Tamil Nadu surges and floods: About 14% face storm surges, sea water pushed inland by a cyclone, above six metres. Kanchipuram, Chennai and Chengalpattu hold the most flood-exposed towers.
3. Odisha: Threats mirror Tamil Nadu’s, with 57% of towers exposed to high and very high cyclonic winds and 13% to flooding.
4. Gujarat: 28% of towers face very high cyclonic winds, and 12% face flood exposure.

Where do floods, landslides and earthquakes add to the risk?

1. Assam winds: Of 18,388 towers mapped in Assam, 83% sit in very high cyclonic wind zones.
2. Assam floods and landslides: 43% stand in areas of high flood exposure, and 5% in areas of high landslide exposure.
3. Uttarakhand: 25% of towers face very high cyclonic winds, and 10% stand in areas of high landslide susceptibility.
4. Seismic exposure: All towers in Assam and Uttarakhand, and 12% in Gujarat, sit in seismic Zones IV and V, the high and very high earthquake hazard zones.

Why does telecom resilience matter beyond the towers?

1. Outages without damage: Networks can suffer severe outages even when towers are undamaged, because flooding cuts:
   • power supply;
   • fibre and backhaul, the links carrying tower traffic to the core network;
   • road access and generator fuel supplies.
2. Economic weight: The telecom sector contributed about 15% of global GDP over the past decade.
3. India’s stake: With 1.2 billion subscribers, telecom provides last-mile connectivity, the final link to a user’s phone, and access to essential services.
4. 5G gains: 5G is expected to add $450 billion to India’s economy by 2040.

Challenges

1. Grid dependence: Towers run mainly on grid power with limited backup, so a long blackout silences them. Eg. Cyclone Fani in Odisha, 2019.
2. Fragile fibre and roads: Floods and landslides cut cables and roads, isolating towers that are themselves undamaged. Eg. Chennai floods after Cyclone Michaung, 2023.
3. Fuel logistics: Backup generators need diesel, which cannot reach sites when roads are flooded or blocked.
4. Separate planning: Telecom operators, power utilities and disaster agencies plan apart, so restoring power, roads and networks is not sequenced.

Way Forward

1. Physical protection: Harden towers in very high wind, flood and seismic zones with sturdier structures and raised equipment.
2. Backup networks: Build backup networks and alternative routes so traffic can bypass failed links.
3. Reliable power: Secure reliable power at towers through longer-lasting batteries and protected fuel supply.
4. Better coordination: DoT, NDMA, operators and power utilities should plan disaster response together.

Conclusion

India’s telecom network is most exposed where cyclones, floods and earthquakes strike hardest, and the risk lies as much in power and links as in the towers. Whether DoT and operators use the assessment to harden networks in the States studied, and extend it elsewhere, is what to watch.

Key numbers

1. Tamil Nadu flood exposure: 33% of towers State-wide.
2. Odisha storm surge: 14% of towers exposed to surges above six metres.
3. Gujarat and Uttarakhand, very high winds: 12,650 structures and 2,440 towers.
4. Global telecom market: Projected to reach $2.8 trillion by 2030.

Back2Basics: Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

1. Launch: India launched CDRI at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September 2019.
2. Mandate: It works to make infrastructure systems resilient to disaster and climate risk.
3. Flagship programme: The Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative supports small island developing states.

Matching Previous Year Question

“No direct PYQ traced in the provided files. Thematic PYQ: [2019, GS3, 10 marks] Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters.”