E-Paper
Integrated plan needed to reduce loss during quakes
TWO TOP seismologist and geophysicist examining the Himalayan region fear more quakes like the ones that hit Kashmir. They have appealed to the Union and State Governments for an integrated strategy to minimise the loss of life and property. The scientists, Prof KN Khattri and Prof Ramesh P Singh, also ask for involvement of earth scientists and engineers in the formulation of plan.
TWO TOP seismologist and geophysicist examining the Himalayan region fear more quakes like the ones that hit Kashmir. They have appealed to the Union and State Governments for an integrated strategy to minimise the loss of life and property.
The scientists, Prof KN Khattri and Prof Ramesh P Singh, also ask for involvement of earth scientists and engineers in the formulation of plan. For them, the seismic activities offer a perfect opportunity to the civil engineering departments to adopt retrofitting needs in the quake-prone regions as a pilot programme.
Both the scientists having years of experience told Hindustan Times that the entire northern India is exposed to high seismic risk because of seismic belt in the Himalayas. Historically, the region has experienced four great quakes of 8+ magnitude in last 100 years. Assam was hit in 1897, Kangra (HP) in 1905, Nepal-Bihar in 1934, and again in 1950 in Assam.
The latest that struck Kashmir last year with immense destructive force, leaving thousands dead and lakhs homeless. Still, the geological processes of plate tectonic origin continue to pile up strain in the region. And given the activity there are chances of repeat of great tremours of 9+ magnitude in the next 100 years. Prof Khattri, a noted seismologist at IIT-Roorkee and Prof Singh of IIT-Kanpur and vice-chairman of Georisk Committee of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics say the massive growth of population (600 million) in the Indo-Gangetic basin and construction of high-rise building make it more vulnerable.
Prof Singh says even noted earth scientists Prof Roger Bilham in ‘Science’ (one of the most reputed journals) has stressed on the possibilty. For Prof Singh, who is using satellite remote sensing to forewarn nature hazards, the Kashmir quake serves as a wake up call and long-term preparations must begin to mitigate the effect of future quakes. To begin with, they say, the government should start preparing the underpriviledged class—which faces the brunt.
There is a need to retrofit or reconstruct the dwellings of poor or even lower middle class society in order to minimize the loss. The scientific researches could also help retrofitting weak constructions to make them stronger and sustain the tremors, they said. “This technical knowledge is inaccessible to the common man. He also does not know what to do for making his home safer. Nor does he have the resources to implement a retrofitting scheme,” the duo added.
The scientists strongly suggest retrofitting of school and hospital buildings so that they can provide much-needed rescue action in crisis. The government, at present, has a major focus on making public utilities, and all is required to make them quake-resistant. They say the civil engineering department should adopt as a pilot program some vulnerable region for study of the retrofitting needs.
The funds could be sought from the government and the World Bank. This approach would ensure the involvement of trained people at the grassroot level of the society, as well as to provide self-employment to civil engineering graduates.
