New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- India is developing an ambitious early-warning system for destructive secondary waves (S-waves) during earthquakes, which could provide critical lead time to save lives and protect infrastructure.

The plan is to deploy this advanced detection network, a first for the country, over the next decade, M. Ravichandran, secretary of ministry of earth sciences, told Mint.

Although accurately predicting the exact time, location and magnitude of earthquakes remains a scientific challenge, the ministry is investing in infrastructure to improve early-warning systems.

"There is currently no scientific method to predict earthquakes in advance. However, we can monitor seismic activity in real time to quickly determine where and ...