Kochi: The Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) plans to set up a centre to study tsunami and, in the long term, to evolve an early warning system. This was disclosed by vice chancellor P K Abdul Azis, who said that a proposal would be submitted to the directorate of science and technology (DST), government of India, for long-term funding of the project.

The study centre would come up initially as a cell in the Department of Marine Geology and Geophysics under the School of Marine Sciences. The new cell, under an expert geophysicist, would collect data on tsunami, liaise with laboratories all over the world which are engaged in tsunami studies and prepare a blueprint for setting up the study centre. It would have to be funded on a long-term basis by the centre. The aim of the centre would be to evolve tsunami early warning system so that the research benefited the common people.