Govt tests nationwide mobile emergency alert system to safeguard citizens
New Delhi: The government on Saturday tested indigenous mobile emergency alert system nationwide to safeguard its citizens when nature strikes.
The system, called ‘Cell Broadcast Alert’, is currently under pan-India testing, in the form of a flash SMS message from the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority).
“NDMA will test Cell Broadcast Alerts on 2 May 2026 in your area. On receiving the message on your mobile phone, no action is required. Please do not panic,” the notification read.
When the emergency alert arrived on Saturday, it made the phone ring rather loudly with a sharp alarm tone and a flashing message.
The alerts were delivered by the indigenous Integrated Alert System (SACHET), which is developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT).
The system is based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), which is recommended by the International Telecommunication Union.
The system aims to deliver disaster and emergency-related alerts in situations such as tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning strikes, and man-made emergencies like gas leaks or chemical hazards via SMS to mobile users within the targeted areas.
While the government has tested the system a few times in the past, these alerts are currently being conducted to assess the system’s performance and reliability prior to nationwide rollout of this system.
The test alerts were sent by NDMA, which is the apex body for disaster management in India. The test messages were received on mobile phones that have their Cell Broadcast test channels enabled.
You can enable or disable alerts by navigating to Settings Safety and emergency Wireless emergency alerts Test alerts.
After the nationwide testing, the mobile alert system will be operationalised across the country and will disseminate emergency alerts in multiple Indian languages across all mobile handsets.