The Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ) off the coast of Iran and Pakistan is still poorly understood. Several decades after the 1945 tsunami caused hundreds of confirmed fatalities in the North West Indian Ocean (NWIO) region, there are still open questions about whether the Makran Subduction Zone is able to generate such large tsunamis in the future. In the worst case, tsunami waves generated by a Makran source could reach shores of India, Iran, Pakistan, Oman and other adjoining countries within a few tens of minutes with height of several metres, posing enormous challenges to existing tsunami warning systems. To address these gaps, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is implementing a multi-national project aimed at “Strengthening tsunami early warning in the North West Indian Ocean region through regional cooperation”. Funded by the United Nations ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness, the project will enable better understanding of Makran tsunami hazard and enhance preparedness of countries in the region to respond to a near-field tsunami threat. INCOIS is one of the implementing partners in this important project. At the project kick-off meetings held in Muscat during 01 – 06 September 2019, all experts agreed on the immediate need to strengthen national coordination mechanisms for tsunami early warning; revise early warning chains and standard operating procedures of National Tsunami Warning Centres, Disaster Management Offices and Media; and develop a regional seismicity model and Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA) for the Makran region. A time-bound plan to implement these activities through a series of national and regional workshops and expert consultations to be held in India, Iran, Pakistan and Oman has also been finalised. INCOIS has kindly agreed to host the first meeting of the PTHA expert team in Hyderabad.

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