By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Uttarakhand will sound its earthquake warning sirens at 11 am on Friday, October 9, as part of a state-wide test of the earthquake early warning system and an exercise to familiarise people with the alert.
The siren will not indicate an actual earthquake and people have been advised not to panic.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said the state currently has 169 sensors and 112 sirens installed under the earthquake early warning system. The test will check their functioning and help authorities identify and rectify any technical glitches.
“The purpose is to make people familiar with the sound of the siren so that during an actual earthquake they can recognise it and take necessary precautions instead of panicking,” Suman said.
Users of the BhuDeV mobile app will also receive a test alert, along with vibration and a beep sound on their phones.
Suman urged people to keep the updated version of the BhuDeV app installed and allow it continuous access to location services so that alerts can reach them in time during an actual earthquake.
The state plans to strengthen the warning network by doubling the number of sensors and sirens, with installations proposed at intervals of around 5–10 km. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA), in collaboration with IIT Roorkee, is also working on a proposal for additional sensors.
Authorities have appealed to residents to treat Friday’s 11 am siren strictly as a pre-planned drill and not an earthquake warning.