By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Uttarakhand’s earthquake early warning system came under scrutiny on Friday after the state government claimed that all 112 installed sirens received alerts during a scheduled test, even as most people contacted by PrashantNews in Dehradun said they did not hear any siren.
The test was conducted at 11 am to assess the functioning of the warning system and familiarise people with the sirens. The government also said a test alert was received on the Bhudev mobile app.
Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman monitored the exercise at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), while scientists from IIT Roorkee joined online to oversee the testing process.
Suman said the test was largely successful, but technical problems affecting sirens at some locations had been identified. IIT Roorkee scientists were examining the shortcomings, which would be addressed, he said.
The apparent gap between the official assessment and residents’ experiences raises questions about whether receiving an alert at a siren necessarily translates into an audible warning for people in surrounding areas.
The state currently has 169 sensors and 112 sirens installed under its earthquake early warning system. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan has directed that the sirens be tested at 11 am on the ninth of every month.
Officials clarified that Friday’s siren activation was a scheduled test and not a warning of an actual earthquake.
Suman urged residents to install the latest version of the Bhudev app on their mobile phones and grant it location access to receive alerts during an emergency.