Why is there no tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean like the Pacific ocean?

Question

Please site sources and thank you so much! :)

Answer 1

Ray's answer is simply 100% wrong. It costs very little to put a tsunami warning system in place compared to the amount of damage that is likely to occur should a large tsunami hit.

The reason there is no early warning system in the Indian ocean is that the governments of the coastal countries are fairly weak/underfunded -- they simply have more urgent things to worry about than the possibility of a natural disaster. The reason the Pacific ocean has a tsunami warning system is because Japan and the USA have the money and time to worry about the possibility of a natural disaster. Both Japan and the USA have been hit by devistating tsunamis before, and because of this they have both invested in a warning system that is in the Pacific ocean.

Answer 2

I agree with the answer above that the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean have either not had the direction, impetus, or resources available to coordinate a project in the past.

However, they are working on installing a system even now. The information below is clipped from the website listed as source. Appears that the first tsunami buoy was launced in December of 2006.

Also, search for Indian Ocean tsunami warning will provide other interesting links and info.

Thailand Launches First “DART” Tsunami Warning Buoy for Indian Ocean Region
U.S. Ambassador Ralph Boyce and Thailand Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram at a DART launch ceremony. (Photo: Sonsakon Kitwiboon)
Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) and USAID, in cooperation with the Thai Meteorological Department, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the U.S. National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), hosted a launch ceremony on December 1, 2006, in Phuket, Thailand, immediately before the first deployment of a US-built tsunami detection buoy in the Indian Ocean.

Answer 3

Because those countries in the Indian Ocean can not afford to have one.

Answer 4

not cost efficient to try and predict tsunamies.
or create the aperatus to do so..