Uzbekistan Launches National Earthquake Warning System

The national earthquake early warning system in Uzbekistan has entered the testing phase, following the methodology developed by the Institute of Seismology of the Academy of Sciences. The Ministry of Emergency Situations, as directed by the President's decision on May 16, 2023, aims to gradually implement the system, starting from December 1, 2023.

To facilitate this, an interdepartmental working group was formed on June 10, 2023, comprising experts from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of Digital Technologies. Drawing from the experiences of countries like Japan, Mexico, California, Italy, Canada, and the Republic of Korea, the group outlined a three-stage plan for the national early warning system.

The first stage, initiated in 2023, involves testing the system in various regions using accelerometers developed by the Institute of Seismology. Currently, 9 accelerometers have been installed in Fergana, Namangan, Andijan, Jizzakh, Samarkand, Boysun, Nurota, Gazli, and Pachkamar stations across the Republic.

In the second stage, set for implementation, the plan is to install 40 accelerometers in seismically active zones, increase the number of seismic stations to 100, and establish a Central Asian strong earthquake recording network through collaboration with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

The third and final stage, scheduled for 2025, involves purchasing new accelerometers, expanding the seismic monitoring network to 200 stations, integrating the strong earthquake recording network into the International Monitoring Network, and deploying the German Seiscomp software for full activation of the warning system.

At present, the initial stage has been successfully completed, and accelerometers are operational at seismic stations. These accelerometers automatically analyze seismic data using specialized programs, triggering a notification to Tashkent when earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 or higher on the MSK-64 scale are detected. The system is undergoing testing, with additional verification for accuracy and error-checking in progress.

To enhance the warning system, Uzbekistan has collaborated with the Seismological Service of Switzerland (SED), and a mobile application named "Warning of a Strong Earthquake" has been developed. Once the system is fully operational and validated, the application will swiftly notify the population in identified regions of the republic about impending strong earthquakes.