Centre appoints oceanographer Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as Earth Sciences Secretary

The Centre has appointed internationally renowned oceanographer Dr. Srinivasa Kumar Tummala as the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), a move aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities in deep-ocean exploration, climate science, oceanography and disaster early warning systems.

According to an official statement issued on Thursday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Dr. Tummala, who is currently serving as Head of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) Secretariat under UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in Perth, Australia.

He has been appointed for a tenure of two years from the date of assuming charge, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

The government said Dr. Tummala’s appointment comes at a crucial time as India scales up the Deep Ocean Mission, enhances climate modelling capabilities and strengthens early warning systems for maritime and meteorological disasters while supporting the blue economy.

Extensive experience in ocean sciences

Dr. Tummala is a distinguished scientist and techno-manager with more than three decades of experience in remote sensing, satellite oceanography, coastal hazard mitigation and disaster management.

Before his international assignment, he served as Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, from August 2020. During his tenure, INCOIS expanded services including Potential Fishing Zone advisories, Coral Reef Bleaching Alerts and multi-hazard vulnerability mapping.

He also played a pivotal role in establishing India’s Tsunami Early Warning System at INCOIS following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The facility later became a globally recognised Tsunami Service Provider.

As Head of the UNESCO-IOC’s IOTWMS Secretariat, Dr. Tummala has overseen tsunami warning coordination across 28 Indian Ocean member states. He has also led initiatives to standardise ocean monitoring operations globally and promoted the implementation of the Tsunami Ready Community Recognition Programme.

Awards and academic contributions

Dr. Tummala received the National Geoscience Award in 2010 from the Ministry of Mines for his contributions to establishing India’s tsunami early warning infrastructure.

He was also honoured with the Indian National Geospatial Award in 2008 by the Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) for his work in applying geospatial technologies to disaster management and marine resource mapping.

An accomplished researcher, Dr. Tummala has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading international journals and has served as the Vice-Chair of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.