NEW DELHI: In a major development for the nation’s earth sciences, meteorological, and oceanographic framework, the Government of India has announced the appointment of the internationally renowned oceanographer and scientific leader, Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala, Head, Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) Secretariat, UNESCO Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission Secretariat, Perth, Australia to the post of Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier."

Dr. Tummala’s appointment marks a strategic transition for the Ministry as India aggressively scales up its deep-ocean exploration initiatives (Deep Ocean Mission), enhances climate modeling, and strengthens its early warning infrastructure against maritime disasters and to support  oceanography, blue economy and meteorological disasters.

Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala is a highly distinguished scientist and techno-manager with over three decades of exceptional experience in remote sensing, satellite oceanography, coastal hazard mitigation and disaster management towards enhancing Indian Ocean research.

Head, ICG/IOTWMS Secretariat, UNESCO-IOC (Perth, Australia): In his most recent international assignment, Dr. Tummala directed the regional tsunami warning networks across 28 Indian Ocean Member States. He led efforts toward the global standardization of ocean watch operations and championed the implementation of the Tsunami Ready Community Recognition Programme.

Director, ESSO-INCOIS (Hyderabad): Dr. Tummala served as the Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, starting in August 2020. Under his stewardship, INCOIS significantly advanced its potential fishing zone (PFZ) advisories, Coral Reef Bleaching Alert systems, and multi-hazard vulnerability mapping.

Architect of India's Tsunami Warning Infrastructure: Following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Dr. Tummala acted as the Project Manager and spearheaded the establishment of the state-of-the-art Indian Tsunami Early Warning System at INCOIS. His efforts transformed the facility into a globally designated Tsunami Service Provider (TSP).

National Geoscience Award (2010): Conferred by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, in recognition of his path-breaking efforts in establishing India's world-class tsunami early warning facilities.

Indian National Geospatial Award (2008): Awarded by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) for his innovative contributions to applying geospatial technologies for disaster mitigation and marine resource mapping.

Academic Contributions: He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading international journals and served as the Vice-Chair of the UNESCO Intergovernmental.