The minister of Earth Sciences, Government of India, informed Parliament on December 6, 2023 that data indicates increase in earthquake activity in the year 2023 and it was mainly attributed to the activation of the Almora fault in Western Nepal.
This activation triggered significant mainshock earthquakes on January 24, 2023 (M:5.8), October 3, 2023 (M:6.2), and November 3, 2023 (M:6.4), the minister said.
These mainshocks, accompanied by subsequent aftershocks, have led to an increased frequency of earthquakes in the year 2023. However, the background seismicity remained unchanged during this period.
It is common for northern India and Nepal to occasionally experience moderate earthquakes, and fluctuations in seismic activity. Nepal and the neighbouring northern part of India, situated near the active faults of the Himalayan region, are highly seismically active areas prone to frequent earthquakes due to collision tectonics, where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate, he said.
Pertinently, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published the Seismic Zoning Map of India, ranging from Zone II to V and offers guidelines for implementing the essential engineering codes and practices to construct earthquake-resistant buildings.
All districts of Kashmir valley and Doda district fall in Seismic Zone-V, and the rest of the districts fall in Seismic Zone-IV.
The time of occurrence of a big earthquake cannot be predicted accurately with existing technology even as the government of India revealed in parliament recently that it plans to strengthen the existing National Seismological Network with additional field stations. This will help in the detection of smaller earthquakes in selected locations.
Given the high vulnerability, there is no ordinary escape for the region from susceptibility to earthquakes. However, the foreknowledge of potential danger areas can help mitigate the impact of a disaster. Keeping in view the preparations of the J&K, any jolt leads to more panic.
There is a need to accept earthquakes as a reality and do everything to redefine development plans, especially in terms of building quake-resistant buildings. There should be a systematic resort to disaster drills to educate the public on what to do during an earthquake. Preparedness remains the key to such disasters and as such it must be given priority.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been responsible for various precautionary measures such as earthquake drills, awareness programs, earthquake management, etc., to enhance preparedness and response to earthquake related incidents.
