A powerful earthquake struck Japan on the first day of New Year, killing at least one person, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some areas to flee to higher ground. It is a reminder to other parts of the globe which are prone to the earthquakes like Jammu and Kashmir.
Around 18 years ago, Jammu and Kashmir had a massive earthquake as on 8 October 2005 7.6 jolt shook the region.
In J&K, the quake caused devastation along with the frontier villages particularly Uri and Kupwara district. If anything, the recent quakes should be a warning about a possible repetition of the natural disaster in the region.
India has been divided into four zones viz. zone V, IV, III and II according to the seismic zoning map of India prepared by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) based on historical seismicity and strong ground motions.
Out of these zones, Zone V exhibits the highest seismic risk and zone II has the least.
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.
Recently J&K witnessed many jolts and fortunately, there was no loss of life even as some houses developed cracks in some areas earlier this year. Nevertheless, it highlighted the need for preparedness on part of the government beforehand rather than managing its aftermath.
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. While tragedy in Japan is still unfolding, there are lessons to be learnt and adopted to prevent loss, both to life or property.
