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Nepal earthquake: India felt tremors from Vadodara to Vijayawada, says NCS report
an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred near Dipayal Silgadhi in western Nepal’s district Doti at 1.57am on Wednesday
Following the earthquake of magnitude 6.3 that occurred near Dipayal Silgadhi in western Nepal’s district Doti at 1.57am on Wednesday, tremors were felt in India from Vadodara, Gujarat, in the west to Siliguri, West Bengal, in the east up to Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in the south, said the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).
The earthquake killed at least six persons in the Himalayan nation and damaged several buildings.
A preliminary report by NCS said the agency had received more than 260 ‘felt reports’ through its website and mobile app from Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.
The epicentre in western Nepal lies 85 km south-east of Dharchula in Uttarakhand, 90 km east-south-east of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, 140 Km northeast of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, 150 Km east- south-east of Almorah in Uttarakhand, 260 Km north of Lucknow and 380 Km east-north-east of Delhi.
The event was well recorded by 85 broadband seismic stations of NCS. The analysis of seismic data showed that the event is located between Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and Main Central Thrust (MCT) and guarded by North Almora Thrust (NAT) and South Almora Thrust (SAT) that provide a very apt location for triggering the mainshock due to appreciable structural heterogeneity.
The recorded earthquakes as per EQ Catalogue of NCS revealed that the region has been associated with moderate to large earthquakes with varying magnitude (M:2 and above). Earthquakes of varying magnitude 5 and above had occurred in and around 200km of the present source zone between Jan 1, 2010 and November 8, 2022.
Prior to the mainshock on Wednesday, there were two events prominently recorded on October 30, 2022 of M 4.1 and another M 4.9 in the rupture area of the present earthquake, which were felt with slight to moderate intensity, said NCS.
“This observation suggests that the source zone of November 9 earthquake had already started to release the accumulated strain energy. The occurrence of earthquakes in the region is attributed mainly to the tectonic settings of the Himalaya comprising Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and Main Central Thrust (MCT) besides several local faults and geological demarcated lineaments. The neighbouring states of India that felt the ground shaking fall under the seismic hazard zones IV and V,” NCS added.
The Himalayan region is due for a major to great earthquake, and such a scenario can make a pronounced impact on north India and Delhi-NCR, explained Kalachand Sain, the director of Wadia Institute, in a statement in June 2020 following several small magnitude earthquakes near NCR.
One of the important ways to prevent damage is to delineate active faults and ensuring major infrastructure is not built near them. If such infrastructure is built, it will have to be done according to the guiding principles of the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS). The outcome of the recent micro-zonation studies for Delhi-NCR by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) should be considered for construction projects.
“The only solution to minimise the loss of lives and properties is the effective preparedness against the earthquake. Countries like Japan have proved this, where earthquakes are a common phenomenon, yet the losses are negligible. Annual mock-drill is a regular feature there,” Sain had recommended.
