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.