Lok Sabha Question No. 5407 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-04-05
Subject: Earthquake Early Warning System
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shardaben Anilbhai Patel, Mitesh Rameshbhai (Bakabhai) Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 5407 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 5 TH  APRIL, 2023

## EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

## 5407.        SHRIMATI SHARDABEN ANILBHAI PATEL: SHRI MITESH RAMESHBHAI PATEL (BAKABHAI):

Will the Minister of Earth Sciences be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  54  per  cent  geographical  area  of  the  country  is  highly  vulnerable  to earthquakes and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has maintained any data of Indian cities which are in the highly vulnerable zone and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the measures being taken by the Government  to create awareness about earthquake resistant buildings in such cities;
- (d) whether  the country's earthquake  early warning  system  is able to predict earthquakes of any intensity;
- (e) if so, the extent to which an earthquake can be accurately predicted; and
- (f) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Considering the recorded history of earthquakes in the country, a total of ~59% of the land mass of India is prone to earthquakes of different intensities. As per the seismic zoning map of the country given by Bureau of Indian Standards, the total area is classified into four seismic zones. Zone-V is seismically the most active region,  while  zone-  II  is  the  least.  Approximately,  ~  11%  area  falls  in  zone-V, ~18% in zone- IV, ~ 30% in zone- III and remaining in zone-II.
- (b) The  cities  of  the  country  falling  under  zone-V  and  zone-IV,  state/UT  wise,  are given below:
- (c) NDMA  has  been  conducting  regular  awareness  campaigns  every  year  through print,  electronic  as  well  as  social  media  from  time  to  time,  on  earthquakes  that include  precautions  for  building  safety  from  earthquakes.  Also,  Guidelines  have been  published  by  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  (BIS),  Building  Materials  & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) and Housing and Urban Development Corporation  (HUDCO)  etc.  for  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.
- (d) to (f)  Presently, no proven system exists in the country to provide the early warning of earthquakes. Also, there is no scientific technique available anywhere in the world to  predict  an  earthquake  precisely  in  terms  of  time,  location  and  its  magnitude. However,  NCS  is  planning  to  install  Earthquake  Early  Warning  systems  in  the targeted areas, initially in the Himalaya as a pilot project.

| City/Town   | State/UT      | Zone   | City/Town   | State/UT    | Zone   |
|-------------|---------------|--------|-------------|-------------|--------|
| Almora      | Uttarakhand   | IV     | Jorhat      | Assam       | V      |
| Ambala      | Haryana       | IV     | Jalpaiguri  | West Bengal | IV     |
| Amritsar    | Punjab        | IV     | Kooch Bihar | West Bengal | IV     |
| Bahraich    | Utter Pradesh | IV     | Kohima      | Nagaland    | V      |
| Barauni     | Bihar         | IV     | Kolkata     | West Bengal | IV     |

| Bhuj        | Gujarat       | V   | Ludhiana   | Punjab            | IV   |
|-------------|---------------|-----|------------|-------------------|------|
| Bulandshahr | Uttar Pradesh | IV  | Mandi      | Himanchal Pradesh | V    |
| Chandigarh  | Chandigarh    | IV  | Monghyr    | Bihar             | IV   |
| Darbhanga   | Bihar         | V   | Moradabad  | Uttar Pradesh     | IV   |
| Darjeeling  | West Bengal   | IV  | Nainital   | Uttrakhand        | IV   |
| Dehradun    | Uttrakhand    | IV  | Patna      | Bihar             | IV   |
| Deoria      | Uttar Pradesh | IV  | Parganas   | West Bengal       | IV   |
| Delhi       | Delhi         | IV  | Pilibhit   | Uttar Pradesh     | IV   |
| Dinajpur    | West Bengal   | IV  | PortBlair  | Andaman & Nicobar | V    |
| Ghaziabad   | Uttar Pradesh | IV  | Roorkee    | Uttrakhand        | IV   |
| Gangtok     | Sikkim        | IV  | Sadiya     | Assam             | V    |
| Guwahati    | Assam         | V   | Simla      | Himanchal Pradesh | IV   |
| Gorakhpur   | Uttar Pradesh | IV  | Srinagar   | Jammu & Kashmir   | V    |
| Imphal      | Manipur       | V   | Tezpur     | Assam             | V    |

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