Question : Earthquake Mitigation Measures

(a) whether a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake had occurred in the State of Manipur and its neighbouring States recently and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of casualties reported and quantum of damage to property in this regard;

(c) whether the National Disaster Response Force has been engaged in clearing the debris and looking for survivors, if so, the details thereof along with the financial assistance provided to the affected States, State-wise;

(d) whether it is also true that quakes with a higher intensity than the one that struck Manipur are likely to rock the region in the future; and

(e) whether it is also true that the Government has taken measures to sensitise the Governments of all hill States to adopt a common building code different from the rest of India and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)



...2/-
-2-
LS.USQ.No. 901 FOR 1.3.2016

(a) to (c): As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 scale had occurred on 4th January 2016 in Tamenglong District, Manipur. Tremors were also felt in neighboring States.

As per the information received from the State Government of Manipur, 10 human lives had been lost due to the earthquake of 4th January 2016, besides damage to 3218 public and private properties. No major casualty or damage was reported from other States of North-Eastern India.

Two Search & Rescue Teams (83 personnel) of National Disaster Response Force were deployed to assist the State Government of Manipur and one Team was deployed to assist the State Government of Assam.

With regard to financial assistance, it is mentioned that the concerned State Governments undertake relief operations in the wake of natural disasters including earthquake from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) already placed at their disposal. An additional assistance is extended from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

...3/-
-2-
LS.USQ.No. 901 FOR 1.3.2016

The State-wise allocation and releases from SDRF and NDRF in respect of North-Eastern States for the year 2015-16 is given in Annexure.

(d): The government is aware about seismic hazard of the whole country. Earthquake prone/ seismic zones have been identified and mapped under the auspices of Bureau of Indian Standard [IS 1983 (part I); 2002]. The country is grouped into four seismic zones viz; zone-II, III, IV and V. Of these, zone V is seismically the most quake prone region, while zone-II is the least. The entire North East India region lies in seismic zone V.

As per information received from Ministry of Earth Science, till date, there is no proven scientific technique available, anywhere in the world, to forecast/ predict the occurrence of earthquakes with reasonable degree of accuracy with regard to space, time and magnitude and also there is no scientific technique yet available to prevent the occurrence of earthquake.

(e): Guidelines have been published by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Building Materials & Technical Promotion Council (BMTPC) and Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) etc. for the
...3/-
-3-
LS.USQ.No. 901 FOR 1.3.2016

design and construction of earthquake resistant structure to minimize the loss of life and damage to property caused by earthquakes. Further, National Building Code provides various provisions for earthquake resistant design and construction of buildings in various zones including those in hilly areas. There is no separate building code for hilly areas. 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.
*****