Lok Sabha Question No. 3531 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-07
Subject: Earthquake Prone Areas
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3531

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2016

## EARTHQUAKE PRONE AREAS

## 3531. SHRI SIRAJUDDIN AJMAL:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  seismological  study  of  the  earthquake  prone  areas  regions has been conducted by the Government and if so, the details and outcome thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard;
- (c) whether  due  to  depleting  ground  water  level  in  the  country,  many  areas have become prone to earthquakes and if so, the areas identified so far; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to generate public awareness in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (SHRI Y. S. CHOWDARY)

- (a) Yes Madam.  Earthquake - prone areas of the country have been identified on  the  basis  of  scientific  inputs  relating  to  seismicity,  earthquakes occurred  in  the  past  and  tectonic  setup  of  the  region.  Based  on  these inputs, 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  active  region,  while  zone  II  is  the  least.  Broadly, Zone - V comprises entire northeastern India, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttaranchal,  Rann  of  Kutch  in  Gujarat,  part  of  North Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Zone - IV covers remaining parts of Jammu  and  Kashmir  and  Himachal  Pradesh,  National  Capital  Territory (NCT)  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  Kerala,  Goa,  Lakshadweep islands, remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal, Parts of Punjab, Rajasthan,    Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Zone - II covers remaining parts of country.
- (b) National Centre of Seismology (NCS) has installed a number of Seismic and Global  Positioning  System  (GPS)  stations  across  major  faults  to  monitor the seismicity and crustal movement of the Indian subcontinent.

NCS  maintains  a  National  Seismological  Network  (NSN)  for  real  time monitoring  of  earthquake  activities  in  and  around  the  country.  The  NSN now consists of 84 state-of-art digital broadband seismograph stations with VSAT commutations facilities for real time monitoring and auto location of earthquakes  in  and  around  the  country.  This  system  has  latest  tools  for dissemination of earthquake information to the concerned disaster management authorities and other user agencies in least possible time (810minutes) for relief and rescue operations in hour of need.

Under the Koyna Deep Borehole programme, studies have been initiated to carry out scientific investigations for deep borehole drilling in the KoynaWarna  region.  The  investigations  include,  Seismological,  Geophysical (seismic, gravity, magnetic), LIDAR, geomorphology and structural geological studies, apart from a few exploratory boreholes.

- (c) Change of ground water table and other anthropological activities and their influence on earthquake occurrence, have been studied in various regions of  the  world  including  Indian  region.  This  process  may  only  trigger  an earthquake  but  it  may  not  cause  an  earthquake  on  a  fault.  Thus,  in  any case, the main cause of earthquake occurrence is tectonic forces.
- (d) National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  and  other  state  Disaster  Management Authorities,  have  taken  up  various  initiatives  to  educate  and  enhance awareness  amongst  general  public  and  school  children  on  the  general aspects  of  earthquakes,  their  impacts  and  measures  to  mitigate  losses caused by them.

A  National  Disaster  Response  Force  (NDRF)  is  also  functional  under  the general  superintendence,  direction  and  control  of  the  NDMA  for  the purpose  of  specialized  response  to  natural  and  man-made  disasters. Markets, schools, hospitals and Railway and Bus stations, airports etc. are regularly sensitized by organising mock drills and information dissemination relating to evacuation and steps to be taken during rescue and relief operations.

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