The death toll due to the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has increased to more than 4,300 as rescuers are racing against time to find more survivors. More than 5,000 people were killed and thousands of others wounded. Both countries fall in the seismic active Anatolian Plate which borders two major fault lines. If reports are to be believed, many buildings in Turkey are century old and are also made up of poor-quality materials.
Though science and technology have progressed a lot, there is still no accurate system that can predict future earthquakes. Various regions in India are at the highest risk of high-intensity earthquakes. The intensity of earthquakes is categorised into 5 seismic zones namely: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, and Zone 5, with the last one being the most dangerous. Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, North East region, Jammu and Kashmir, and Andaman & Nicobar fall into Zone 5 and are prone to high-intensity earthquakes.
Minister of State for Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh in a 2021 Lok Sabha address had said that almost 59 per cent of the Indian landmass is prone to earthquakes of different intensities. The central Himalayan region in the country falls into one of the most seismically active zones. Four major earthquakes were recorded in the Himalayan region over the past 150 years, including the tremors in Assam in 1897, in Kangra in 1905, in Bihar-Nepal in 1934 and in Assam in 1950. Even the country’s national capital Delhi also falls into Zone 4 which is prone to frequent earthquakes.
Scientists have warned that there was a strong possibility of a high intensity earthquake in the Himalayan region in the future. No one knows when it can happen. It could take place the next moment, next month, next year or in 100 years. Massive earthquakes will cause high-scale destruction of property and life. What is needed is to have better preparations. The authorities must work in advance on ways to minimise the damage to life and property. Hence, government authorities should strictly enforce guidelines while constructing buildings, houses and other infrastructures.
High-rise buildings have mushroomed in most cities and towns apart from big government infrastructures. How seismic resistant these buildings are is not known. Therefore, laws should be enacted which make seismic-resistance an integral part of all construction. There’s already a list of Indian standards that deal with earthquake-resistant construction, which sheds light on the design of structures, construction of buildings, improving earthquake resistance of earthen buildings, repair and seismic strengthening of buildings.
But to what extent are these guidelines being followed or monitored, especially in densely populated cities. Due to the unpredictability of earthquakes, it is important to keep ourselves prepared to deal with them in a better way and minimise the damage they might cause to life and property. And these should be made compulsory. People should also be made aware of what can be done by way of preparations before earthquakes, at the time of their occurrence and after they have happened.
