(a) whether the Himalayan plateau is more prone to earthquake of high intensity;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the huge population living in cities/towns in Himalayan plateau are vulnerable to these earthquakes; and
(d) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MINISTRY OF
EARTH SCIENCES, MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE, MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI PRITHVIRAJ CHAVAN)
(a) Yes Madam, Himalayas are more prone to earthquake than other parts of India.
(b) The region forms part of the seismically most active parts of the country, viz., Zone-V
and –IV, as per the Seismic Zoning Map of India published by the Bureau of Indian Standards
[IS-1893 (Part-1): 2002]. From the concept of plate tectonics, the Indian plate is moving in
a north-north-east direction and colliding with Eurasian plate along the Himalayan mountain
range. This collision is responsible for the formation of faults in and along the Himalaya.
The Himalayan region has witnessed four great earthquakes of the world in the past, viz.,
the 1897-Shillong Plateau (M: 8.7), 1905-Kangra (M: 8.0), 1934-Bihar-Nepal (M: 8.3) and
1950-Assam (M: 8.5) earthquake. In the recent past, the Himalayan region has also experienced
three more disastrous earthquakes, viz., the Uttarkashi earthquake of 1991 (M: 6.6), Chamoli
earthquake of 1999 (M: 6.8) and the Muzaffarabad earthquake of 2005 (M: 7.6). These earthquakes
have caused damage to property and loss of life in the region.
(c) In the event of an earthquake, there is always a danger to life and properly and would
depend upon the intensity of the earthquake.
(d) Various earthquake disaster management and mitigation measures are in place through the
efforts coordinated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the country. Significant of them
is the issuance of guidelines for earthquake resistant design and construction of structures
that have been laid down by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Housing Urban Development
Corporation (HUDCO) and Building
Material Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) etc for their adoption by appropriate planning
and development authorities.
Notable actions initiated by MHA include:
i) Strengthening the capacity building of engineers, architects, lead masons and masons in
earthquake resistant construction.
ii) Structural safety audit and retrofitting.
iii) Creating greater awareness on earthquake risk, vulnerability and emergency response.
iv) Strengthening of the techno-legal regime.
v) Selective retrofitting of lifeline infrastructure like district hospitals etc. to ensure
earthquake impact minimization.
Further, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued National Disaster Management
Guidelines for management of earthquakes and is widely circulated among Ministries of
Government of India and states/UTs administrations. National and state level disaster
management plans are envisaged to be prepared in accordance with the NDMA guidelines by
appropriate authorities to minimize the loss of life and property due to earthquakes.
National Executive Committee (NEC) constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, MHA will
recommend such various disaster management plans to NDMA for approval and funding support
for effective implementation.