At about 11:40 am on Friday, a sharp alarm that sounded on the mobile phones all over the country was followed by temporary panic among the users with some of them thinking that it was a sign of an emergency. The government however later explained that the message was simply a test of its disaster alert system and did not entail any action of people.
The alerts were named Extremely Severe Alert, and it was based on the fact that India had introduced a cell broadcast system on its indigenous technology to provide instant disaster alerts to users. It highlighted that the alert was just a trial message to enhance preparedness and effective communication in the case of an emergency.
Although this was clarified, the sudden alarm caused confusion and anxiety, particularly because most users were not alerted beforehand. Immediately social media was filled with responses, people shared their experience and were concerned with the abrupt notification.
Some of the respondents included Priyanka Chaturvedi who questioned the manner in which the test was administered. She said that the alarm was frightening and provoked unwarranted panic and that a previous announcement regarding such tests would have made people see the situation better. She also mentioned that some users received the alert more than once, which enhanced the confusion.
The disaster alert system of the government is aimed at real-time warnings in the case of natural calamities or emergencies. Although the test proved the extent and functionality of the system, it also revealed a need to improve communication so that the system does not cause panic among the people in case another drill is to be conducted.