Bangladesh storm alerts 'by text'

Cyclone victims often do not get enough warning

Officials in Bangladesh say thousands of people living in cyclone-prone areas will soon get warnings of impending storms via a mobile phone alert.

The instant alert will warn people of floods or cyclones and will tell them where to seek shelter.

The government has signed an agreement with two mobile service providers who will operate the pilot project for six months initially in two districts.

Bangladesh is often hit by cyclones or floods, most recently in May.

At least 200 people died in that month when Cyclone Aila hit the country and the Indian state of West Bengal.

The providers, Grameenphone and the state-owned Teletalk, will send instant messages to their subscribers in two of the most vulnerable areas - the flood-prone Shirajganj district and Cox's Bazar district on the south-eastern coast, which is often hit by cyclones.

"This new initiative will save people's lives," said Syed Ashraf, communications specialist for the country's Disaster Management Bureau.

"Flood victims will be able to take action like evacuate their homes and seek shelter in assigned places."

Mr Ashraf said the warning messages would not be sent in the usual SMS format, straight to message boxes, but would flash automatically on phone screens.

He said that this method was more user-friendly, because people would not even have to push a button on their handsets.

Correspondents say that Bangladesh has about 46 million mobile phone subscribers.

It is one of the riskiest countries in the world for natural disasters, according to a UN list published last week.

Villagers currently receive warnings of cyclones through radio and television bulletins and over loudspeakers by trained volunteers who travel through villages on bicycles.