(a) whether the India Meteorological Department has identified and mapped the earthquake prone zones in the country including Jharkhand;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the details of seismic tremors reported along with their intensity during the last three years and the current year;
(d) whether adequate steps have been taken to deal with earthquakes, including creating awareness amongst masses; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND
MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)
(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E)
OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *387
REGARDING EARTHQUAKE PRONE ZONES
TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, 19TH JULY, 2019.
(a) and (b) Based on various scientific inputs from different agencies, such as, past seismicity of the country, maximum intensities experienced in the past, geology and the seismo-tectonics of the region concerned, Bureau of Indian Standards [IS 1893 (Part I):2002], has grouped the country into four seismic zones, viz. Zone II, III, IV and V. Of these, Zone V is seismically the most prone region, while zone II is the least. According to this classification Jharkhand lies in Zone-III, which is called as, ‘moderate intensity zone’.
(c) National Centre for Seismology (NCS) under Ministry of Earth Sciences, maintains a seismological network round the clock for continuous monitoring of seismic activity in and around the country. A total of 932 earthquakes of magnitude range from 1.8 to 6.6, have been recorded by this network from 1st January, 2016 to 30th June, 2019 in India. The details of these earthquakes are given as Annexure.
(d) and (e) Guidelines have been published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) etc. for the design and construction of earthquake resistant structures to minimize the loss of life and damage to property caused by earthquakes. These guidelines are in wide circulation amongst the public and the administrative authorities responsible for the design and construction of earthquake resistant structures in earthquake prone areas.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other state Disaster Management Authorities, have also taken up various initiatives to educate and bring awareness amongst general public and school children on the general aspects of earthquakes, their impacts and measures to mitigate losses caused by them.