Frequent quakes a wake-up call for disaster preparedness Bhadarwah July 29 Frequent earthquakes with their epicentre in the state point towards the fact that the region is more prone to seismic activity than ever before. In geological terms, it is no longer a Seismic Locked Area, a term coined by the geologist few years back in view of dormant plate activity in the state. A locked fault means equal resistance exerted by two faults. Such faults may store strain for extended periods making the area dormant for time, eventually released in an earthquake when frictional resistance between them is overcome. After Bhaderwah quake of May 1, which was measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, scientists say the state needs to invest more in research activities and disaster management, to prevent large-scale destruction. More than two dozen aftershocks were felt across the region over past two months. The state and the entire Himalayan region has been experiencing increased seismic activity as for years, the epicentre was mainly in the Hindukush or Pamirs and the state was only experiencing the aftershocks. But Bhaderwah quake changed all this and the centre of the quake was a small village in the area. “Still nothing can be said with certainty when it comes to predicting an earthquake. We have been monitoring and studying the geological activity in the state for a long time. At times it remains dormant and between certain periods it becomes active as experienced across the world,” said Prof GM Bhat, a geologist at Jammu University. Prof Bhat, who himself is a leading earthquake expert had conducted extensive study on the subject in the state. “The need of the hour is extensive funding from the government to understand the geological and fault lines better which could be used for future urban planning,” he said. After the devastating earthquake in parts of the state in October 2005, an international workshop of geo-scientists organised in March 2008 by the Department of Geology and Mining urged the state to establish seismological observatories for monitoring of seismic activities on a regular basis. With the help of the Union Ministry of Earth Science and the Jammu University, a network of Broad Band Seismograph (BBS) was established at Kupwara, Poonch, Uri, Dooru and Bani, which has been operational since 2009. Former coordinator, Disaster Management Cell, Prof Aamir Ali, said with frequent quakes in the region, the government needs to invest in disaster management to minimise loss of lives. “The only shield is a strong disaster management plan and awareness among people about how to save themselves. Major concern is the design and construction of homes in the state, which cannot resist any strong earthquake,” Ali said. It may be mentioned here that a study conducted by a prominent United States based seismologist Roger Bilham had warned that the region needs to get prepared for a high-intensity quake in near future, which could be up to the magnitude of 9 on the Ritcher scale. Past quakes 1555: An earthquake killed 60,000 people in Baramulla and Sopore June 6, 1828: 1,000 dead and widespread destruction in an earthquake in Srinagar May 30, 1885: Hundreds of houses destroyed and 3,200 persons killed during an earthquake September 12, 1981: In the Gilgit Wazarat area under the occupation of Pakistan, 220 persons killed, 2,500 injured October 8, 2005: An earthquake of 7.6 on the Ritcher scale struck Kashmir-Kohistan on the Pakistan-India border leaving 80,000 persons dead in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir May 1, 2013: An earthquake of 5.8 magnitude quake hits Bhaderwah, leaving one dead and hundreds injured. Thousands of houses and government buildings developed cracks
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 01:11:42 +0000
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