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India’s Cell Broadcast-based emergency alert system is being used to send frequent weather warnings, raising concerns about “alert fatigue.” Experts warn that repeated siren-style notifications may reduce public response during real disasters. The system, built by NDMA, DoT and C-DOT, can reach millions instantly, but specialists say alerts must be better categorised by urgency.

India's emergency broadcast system is reaching millions in seconds. But experts warn that overuse could erode the very trust it depends on. In the recent times, phones have erupted with a siren alerting about thunderstorms across the country.

Across Delhi-NCR, this has become a familiar ritual. Alerts arriving during office meetings, late nights, and unremarkable afternoons when the sky outside is clear. The warnings are real, but the emergencies often are not.

The Technology Behind the Warning

The system doing the alerting is called Cell Broadcast, a technology at the core of India's SACHET disaster alert network, developed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT).