Earthquake in Tibet

 

 

Context:

Recently, an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 (China Earthquake Networks Centre) or 7.1 (U.S. Geological Survey) struck Tingri County in Xigaze, Tibet Autonomous Region, near the India-China border.

 

Relevance:
GS-01 (Physical Geography)

 

 

Earthquake Vulnerability and Risk in India

 

High-Risk Areas

  • The Indian subcontinent is prone to devastating earthquakes, majorly because of the movement of the Indian plate into Asia.
  • A World Bank and United Nations report estimates that around 200 million city dwellers in India will be exposed to storms and earthquakes by 2050.
  • Major tectonic regions include:
    • Himalayas: Prone to high-intensity earthquakes (magnitude >8.0) due to Indian Plate subduction under the Eurasian Plate.
    • Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra Plains: Underlain by Himalayan tectonic features.
    • Peninsular India: Intraplate faults, rift zones (Kachchh, Narmada-Son), and reactivated faults cause seismic activity.
  • More than 59% of India is prone to moderate to severe earthquakes, which means it is prone to shaking of MSK (Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale) Intensity VII and above.

 

 

Major Earthquakes in History

  • Shillong (1897, M 8.7), Kangra (1905, M 8.0), Bihar-Nepal (1934, M 8.3), Assam-Tibet (1950, M 8.6).
  • Central Himalayas identified as a potential zone for future major earthquakes.

 

 

Seismic Zones in India (BIS Classification)

  • Zone V (Very High Risk): Kashmir Valley, Himachal (West), Uttarakhand (East), Rann of Kutch, Northern Bihar, Northeast India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • Zone IV (High Risk): Parts of Jammu, Ladakh, Himachal (remaining), Uttarakhand (remaining), Delhi, Sikkim, Northern UP, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and parts of Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, Rajasthan.
  • Zone III (Moderate Risk): Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, parts of UP, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra.
  • Zone II (Low Risk): Remaining areas of India, including parts of Rajasthan, MP, Odisha, AP, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

 

 

Major initiatives by the Indian government:

The government has come up with a lot of measures to mitigate:

  • National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project:
    • It is a centrally sponsored plan by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) that focuses on seismic zones IV and V. The project includes:
    • It advances in adopting, enforcing, and updating a techno-legal regime and promoting earthquake-resistant construction practices.
  • National Centre for Seismology:
    • It’s headquartered in Noida.
    • It monitors earthquakes through 115 observatories and shares information with state and central disaster authorities for timely mitigation measures.
  • Campaigns by NDMA: Awareness campaigns are conducted by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at regular intervals to create awareness through print, electronic, and social media on preparedness from earthquakes.
  • Building codes and guidelines:
    • To design and build earthquake-resistant structures to reduce damage, especially loss of life and property damage in earthquake-prone areas.
    • These guidelines are catered from the Bureau of Indian Standards, Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council, and Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

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