India needs special sensors to detect tsunami waves like the ones that wreacked havoc in India and several other Asian countries, a top Meteorological Department official said on Monday.

Tsunami waves in India and several other Asian countries on Sunday claimed over 22,000 lives.

• 'Earthquakes don't kill; human error does'

"There are special sensors that we need to buy and place in the sea. These sensors help in the evaluation of pressure on the waves. This will help us to calculate the force of such waves and predict places where they are likely to strike," Director of Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department Dr A K Shukla told rediff.com.

He ruled out the possibility of another tsunami in the near future. "The worst phase is over. But small tremors will be felt for many weeks, even months, and people should be alert," he said.

Dr Shukla denied allegation that the department had not divulged any information about the earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra in Indonesia, which had triggered the tsunamis.

• 'India not prepared to tackle tsunamis'

"The moment the earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter Scale, hit Sumatra, we informed the media and the authorities about it. But we had no clue about the resultant catastrophe," he said.

He said the department had no clue about the kind of destruction tsunami waves could cause, as this was for the first time South Asia was experiencing them.

Dr Shukla also claimed that agencies in the United State had not warned India about the waves.

"At least, I am not aware of any information [from the US] reaching us. Had we got the information, we would have definitely warned the coastal states about the waves and saved many precious lives," he said.