Nishikant Khajuria
Devastating earthquake and consequent loss of life as well as property in Kathmandu of neighbouring Nepal has not only grieved people but also triggered a panic wave, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir State, which falls in Himalayan belt of the seismic zone and considered prone to tremors because of the continuous activity going on below the earth surface.
Major earthquakes are caused because of the continuous activity going on below the surface of the earth. There are several large plates below the surface of the earth, which move at a very slow speed. As a part of this movement, sometimes, they collide against each other. And, after the collision, they might still continue to push each other. In the process, there is a pressure building up – across these plates below the surface. And, then, at a certain time, one of the plates might slide over another that causes an earthquake.
Even as hundreds of earthquakes have been taking place on a daily basis all around the world, most of these are low-intensity and remain unnoticed. The impact of an earthquake at any location is characterized by two primary characteristics, intensity and epicenter. The most common scale used for measuring an earthquake is Richter scale, which is a logarithmic scale. An earthquake measuring 6.0 is 10 times more powerful than an earthquake measuring 5.0
Usually, areas around fault-lines are more vulnerable to earthquakes. Himalayan region is one of the major fault lines, which has been hit by tremors at various places spanning across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India
According to Prof S K Pandita of the Geology Department in Jammu University, the Himalayan belt has been divided into three zones; North-East Zone, Central Zone and North-West Zone. The State of Jammu and Kashmir falls in North-West Zone, which is also called as Kashmir Zone and has been very prone to tremors. “Most parts of the Kashmir Valley, 11 percent of the area of the state, covering the Districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V, where around 50 per cent of the population of the State lives. Rest of the State including whole of Ladakh region and Jammu Division, 90 per cent of the total area of the state, is under the Seismic Zone IV,” he explained.
The earthquakes with high intensity bring large scale destructions imprinting fearful memories among the affected people for years together. According to the reports, more than ten thousand people have died in earthquake at neighbouring Nepal while the entire Kathmandu has virtually turned into ruins. In May 2008, an earthquake of 8.1 magnitude had hit Sichuan province in China in which more than 68 thousand people were killed and around 3,50,000 were injured.
The Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of control was hit by major earthquake on October 8, 2005. While the devastation was severe on other part of the LoC, our State also witnessed deaths and destruction, particularly in Poonch-Rajouri areas. That was most devastating earthquake in the history of J&K. This major earthquake struck the India-Pakistan border and had a magnitude of Mw=7.6 and was felt strongly in much of Pakistan, northern India and eastern Afghanistan.
The earthquake resulted in more than 80,000 deaths in northern Pakistan and adjoining parts of Jammu & Kashmir, India and is by far one of the deadliest in the sub-continent. Tremors from the earthquake were felt more than a thousand kilometres away in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. As per the available records, earlier also some other major earthquakes had hit J&K and caused major devastation. On June 6, 1828, a major earthquake hit Srinagar area and caused widespread devastation in various parts of the Kashmir Valley. 1,000 people were killed in that earthquake. Another earthquake on May 30, 1885 was one of the deadliest shocks in Kashmir. It was centred just north of the Wular Lake. It jolted the Valley of Kashmir and along with it Srinagar, Baramulla and Sopore. 3,200 people are said to have been killed in this earthquake.
Since earthquakes are neither predictable nor checked by any method or equipment notwithstanding big advances made by the science in all fields, permanent safety measures in advance are the only guarantee of avoiding deaths and destruction in this natural calamity that can strike any time anywhere.
“Proximity to faults does not necessarily translate into a higher hazard as compared to areas located further away as damage from earthquake depends on numerous factors such as subsurface geology as well as adherence to the building codes and preparations for the disaster management,” said Dr Rajkumar, a Geologist in the Department of Geological Survey of India.
While explaining, he opined that a geotechnical survey should be mandatory for building Government as well as private structures in J&K while construction of quake resistant buildings should be encouraged. “The Government should devise a mechanism and adopt some policy so that building permissions are issued on the basis of categorization of the seismic zones and vulnerability of the area to tremors,” he elaborated.
If the structure is well-designed to withstand earthquakes, it would not get damaged. So, there is no cost of rebuilding, and, there is no damage due to falling material. However, the cost of construction would be high. “Since people build houses for long-term and earthquakes have a certain degree of predictability in long period, there is of course an increasing acceptance to the idea of this investment during the past few years, particularly after 2008 earthquake,” informed Anuj, a renowned Architect of Jammu.
Construction of buildings
There are some simple thumb rules to follow for constructing a house in an area prone to earthquake. The entire construction should be a single monolithic structure, so that the whole structure can move as a whole. To the extent possible, material used should be something that has been available locally. This would allow very little differential in the movement of your building vis-à-vis the material over which the house sits – thus reducing the chances of sinking. Consult a good structural engineer to ensure that the structure is strong enough to withstand seismic activities.
Further, there should be minimum use of glass in building facades. These decorative pieces could be deadly, during an earthquake. Glass being very brittle, even a minor twist in the structure could cause breakage. And, glass being very heavy and injurious could cause severe damage. Doors and windows should have fasteners, so that they can be fastened. Swaying or banging of doors and windows against the frame could damage your limbs, fingers etc. The doors might get stuck due to misaligned frame – making it difficult for you to run out, or, for the rescue teams to reach you.
Large and heavy items should be fastened, so that they don’t fall-off, during earthquakes. Hanging items like fan, chandeliers, decorations etc should also be fastened, rather than just left hanging through a hook.
People should also be aware of the tips for personal safety in case of an earthquake. During such emergency moment, the safest place would be an open ground – away from all kinds of buildings and tall structures. If you cannot rush out of your building, you can duck under some sturdy desk etc, which might provide protection against heavy objects falling on your body. If even that is not possible, sit against a wall, with your back pushing the wall firmly, and, lean forward – to take your head in between both your knees, and, put your hands at the back of your head – to provide protection to your head and spine. Or, you could stand directly below one of the door-frame in your house, explained a Civil Defence Warden..
Advance preparation for the disaster management play a crucial role in minimizing deaths and destruction during such natural calamity. After 2008 earthquake, A State Disaster Management Authority was established with Chief Minister as its head. Jammu University also formed a Disaster Management Centre with main focus of imparting training and awareness to students as well as teachers for dealing with such emergency crisis. ” We organize training and awareness session to apprise the students what to do and what not to do during the emergency hours. In near future, we are mulling to start classes in this regard,” informed Prof S K Pandita, who is presently heading the JU Disaster Management Centre.
In addition to these disaster management bodies, scientific community is also playing its role by continuously monitoring seismic activities below the earth with the help of equipments, installed at Jammu University, Poonch, Bani, Dooru and Tangdhar. A sudden increase in seismic activities could imply an impending earthquake in the near-future even as exact prediction regarding timing and intensity of the tremor cannot be made.
In nutshell, we can say than even if the occurrence of an earthquake cannot be checked or predicted, precautions in advance and alertness can surely minimize the destruction and in a State like Jammu and Kashmir, people should be aware of the safety measures against such calamities.
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