MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES(SHRI KAPIL SIBAL)
(a) to (g): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFFERED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (g) OF LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 166 FOR 9TH MARCH, 2007
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) Consequent to the occurrence of the great earthquake in Sumatra region on
26th December, 2004 of magnitude 9.3 and the 8th October, 2005 earthquake in
Muzzafarabad of magnitude 7.6, these regions had witnessed aftershock activity
of lesser intensity on more or less continuous basis. The Sumatra and nearby
regions had witnessed about 95 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 and above since
January, 2006 till date, some of which have been reported felt in Andaman and
Nicobar island region. Also, 12 aftershocks of magnitude 5 and above had been
recorded in the Muzzafrabad area since January, 2006 till date, some of which were
felt in the Indian region. The Bhuj region of Gujarat, where an earthquake of magnitude
77 occurred on 26th January, 2001, had also exhibited aftershock activity of lower
intensities. In this region, there had been 18 aftershocks of magnitude 3.5 and above
since January, 2006 till date.
(c) Yes, Sir.
(d)Bureau of Indian Standards [IS-1893 (Part-1): 2002], based on various scientific
inputs from a number of agencies, has grouped the country into four seismic zones
viz. Zone-II, -III, -IV and –V (Enclosure-1). Of these, Zone V is the most seismically
active region, while zone II is the least. The Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity
(Enclosure-2), which measures the impact of the earthquakes on the surface of the
earth, broadly associated with various zones is as follows:
Seismic Zone Intensity on MM scale
II (Low intensity zone) VI (or less)
III (Moderate intensity zone) VII
IV (Severe intensity zone) VIII
V (Very severe intensity zone) IX (and above)
Broadly, Zone-V comprises of the entire northeastern India, parts of Jammu and
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, parts of North
Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar islands. Zone-IV covers remaining parts of Jammu
& Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, Union Territory of Delhi, Sikkim, northern parts
of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, parts of Gujarat and small portions of
Maharashtra near the west coast and Rajasthan. Zone-III comprises of Kerala, Goa,
Lakshadweep islands, remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal,
parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Zone-II covers
remaining parts of the country.
(e) The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has brought out several publications useful
for construction practices in the country, which are required to be adopted for construction
in earthquake prone areas. In addition, National Building Code of India (2005) has also been
brought out by BIS, which incorporates latest provision of relevant codes related to design
and construction of earthquake resistant buildings. The above-referred standards cover
different types of construction and cater to the requirements of various parts of the country.
(f) The construction of buildings is governed and regulated by Building Bye-laws/
Regulations framed by respective States. However, the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation has been advising State Governments for adopting disaster resistant
construction technologies in the housing projects. Byelaws/regulations on earthquake
resistant building design have been adopted for construction in the cities of Guwahati,
Chennai and Dhanbad.
(g)To ensure construction of earthquake resistant houses by strengthening techno-legal
regime of respective States and UTs, a Model Town and Country Planning Legislation,
Zoning Regulation Development Control and Building Regulation/Bye-laws for Safety
against Natural Hazards have been prepared by an Expert Committee constituted by the
Ministry of Home Affairs.To help State Governments in amending their Acts/Byelaws/
Regulation, Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) has been
organising one-day Technical Workshops on Model Amendments in Town and Country
Planning Act, Zoning Regulation, Development and Control Regulation and Building
Regulation for safety against natural hazards in States/UTs to disseminate the
recommendations of the Committee. Already in all 8 North-eastern States, Technical
Workshops have been organised. In addition, Technical Workshops have also been
organised in Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar.
