Lok Sabha Question No. 6187 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Seismograph Network
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6187

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 1 ST  APRIL, 2026

## SEISMOGRAPH NETWORK

## 6187.    SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA: SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of functional seismographs, strong motion stations in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh along with the site, latitude-longitude coordinates, district, seismic zone  classification,  commissioning  year  and  nodal  agency  responsible  for  installation, maintenance of these stations;
- (b) the details of the recent changes in seismic zone classifications;
- (c) the details of these stations which are located on or monitoring large dams including Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh hydropower projects in Western Ghats including Linganamakki, Supa, Kalinadi and Varahi;
- (d) whether the seismic data are streamed real-time to NCS HQ, SEOC individual project control rooms and the transmission mode adopted;
- (e) the details of any earthquake recorded during the last five years, district-wise, magnitude band-wise and focal depth-wise;
- (f) whether  the  spatial  coverage  gaps  exist  in  high-seismic-hazard  districts  like  Dakshin Kannada  of  Western  Ghats  and  Himachal  Pradesh  and  if  so,  the  corrective  measures taken/being taken in this regard;
- (g) the funds sanctioned, released and utilised under Central schemes for network augmentation during the last three years; and
- (h) the timebound plan to close identified gaps, integrate dam based stations with National early warning framework, strengthen capacity for rapid ShakeMaps and public alerts?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The National Centre for Seismology (NCS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), operates  and  maintains  seismological  observatories  under  the  National  Seismological Network (NSN), which presently comprises 170 observatories across the country, including 07 stations in Himachal Pradesh and 07 in Karnataka.  These stations are equipped with broadband  seismographs  and  strong  motion  accelerographs. The  details  of  these  stations including site/location, latitude and longitude, district, seismic zone classification as per IS 1893 (Part-1):2016, and year of commissioning/upgradation, are provided in the table below. The NCS is the nodal agency responsible for installation, operation and maintenance of these stations.  The  stations  at  S.  Nos.  10  to  14  are  operated  at  sites  co-located  with  the seismological observatories maintained by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Bengaluru.
- (b) The Seismic Zoning Map of India, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as part of the code:  IS 1893(Part-1):2016 -Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, remains the current standard, as the revised zonation has been withdrawn in March 2026.
- (c) The  National  Centre  for  Seismology  (NCS),  through  its  National  Seismological  Network (NSN), continuously monitors earthquake activity in and around the country and detects and locates events of magnitude 3.0 and above occurring in any part of the country. This provides an assessment of regional seismicity, including in areas around major dams and hydropower projects. NCS does not maintain dedicated instrumentation for monitoring individual dams; such  site-specific monitoring  is carried out by  dam/project  authorities, generally in coordination with the Central Water Commission (CWC).
- (d) Yes,  seismic  data  from  stations  operated  by  the  NCS  are  streamed  in  real  time  to  the Earthquake Monitoring Centre at its Headquarters in New Delhi, primarily through VSAT and other telemetry systems. The data are processed for rapid estimation of earthquake parameters and timely dissemination. Earthquake information is made available on the NCS website and the BhooKamp mobile  application,  and  is  also  shared  with  State  Emergency  Operation Centres (SEOCs) and other stakeholders through SMS, Email, Fax and other communication channels.
- (e) Details of earthquakes recorded in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka during the last five years (2021-2025), magnitude band-wise, are given below:

|   S. No. | Site / District         | State            | Seismi c Zone   |   Latitud e ( o N) |   Longitud e ( o E) | Date of Installatio n   | Date of Latest Upgradatio n   |
|----------|-------------------------|------------------|-----------------|--------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------|
|        1 | Bhakra                  | Himachal Pradesh | V               |            31.3947 |             76.381  | 12.07.195 9             | 29.10.2015                    |
|        2 | Kalpa, Kinnaur District | Himachal Pradesh | IV              |            31.546  |             78.26   | 12.05.198 5             | 26.12.2017                    |
|        3 | Sundar Nagar, Mandi     | Himachal Pradesh | V               |            31.5305 |             76.9056 | 01.01.196 8             | 19.01.2018                    |
|        4 | Tissa, Chamba           | Himachal Pradesh | IV              |            32.8366 |             76.1503 | 27.05.201 8             | 27.05.2018                    |
|        5 | Dharamshal a, Kangra    | Himachal Pradesh | V               |            32.2476 |             76.3067 | 25.12.200 7             | 25.12.2007                    |
|        6 | Shimla                  | Himachal Pradesh | IV              |            31.128  |             77.167  | 01.01.197 5             | 27.12.2007                    |
|        7 | Pong Dam, Kangra        | Himachal Pradesh | V               |            31.956  |             75.955  | 01.09.196 3             | 21.12.2017                    |
|        8 | Mangalore               | Karnataka        | III             |            12.8923 |             74.8677 | 18.01.198 4             | 22.12.2015                    |
|        9 | Bengaluru               | Karnataka        | II              |            13.0211 |             77.5704 | 11.07.202 1             | 11.07.2021                    |
|       10 | Mandya District         | Karnataka        | II              |            12.41   |             76.5744 | 14.07.202 1             | 14.07.2021                    |
|       11 | Kodagu District         | Karnataka        | II              |            12.486  |             75.9089 | 17.07.202 1             | 17.07.2021                    |
|       12 | Ballari District        | Karnataka        | II              |            15.2796 |             76.3194 | 29.07.202 1             | 29.07.2021                    |
|       13 | Uttara Kannada          | Karnataka        | III             |            15.2626 |             74.5349 | 01.08.202 1             | 01.08.2021                    |
|       14 | Kalaburagi              | Karnataka        | II              |            17.2922 |             76.7663 | 17.12.202 1             | 17.12.2021                    |

| Magnitude   | Himachal Pradesh   | Himachal Pradesh   | Himachal Pradesh   | Himachal Pradesh   | Himachal Pradesh   | Karnataka   | Karnataka   | Karnataka   | Karnataka   | Karnataka   |
|-------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Range       | 2021               | 2022               | 2023               | 2024               | 2025               | 2021        | 2022        | 2023        | 2024        | 2025        |
| <3.0        | 44                 | 38                 | 31                 | 13                 | 8                  | 11          | 23          | 21          | 10          | 11          |
| 3.0-3.9     | 21                 | 12                 | 14                 | 22                 | 13                 | 12          | 12          | 3           | 2           | 6           |
| 4.0-4.9     | 2                  | 4                  | -                  | -                  | 2                  | 2           | 1           | -           | -           | -           |
| 5.0-5.9     | -                  | -                  | -                  | 1                  | -                  | -           | -           | -           | -           | -           |
| Total       | 67                 | 54                 | 45                 | 36                 | 23                 | 25          | 36          | 24          | 12          | 17          |

All the earthquakes recorded in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh during the last five years were of shallow depth (<30 km), except three events in Himachal Pradesh during 2021 and one  event  during  2022,  which  occurred  in  the  depth  ≥  30  km.  Details  of  all  earthquakes recorded during the last five years are  available on NCS website  www.seismo.gov.in  and also detailed below:

## District-wise  recorded earthquakes in Himachal Pradesh (2021-2025)

| District / Region   | 2021   | 2022   | 2023   | 2024   | 2025   |
|---------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Bilaspur            | 3      | 1      | 3      | -      | -      |
| Chamba              | 22     | 17     | 17     | 11     | 13     |
| Dharamshala         | 1      | 1      | -      | -      | -      |
| Hamirpur            | 1      | 1      | 1      | -      | -      |
| Kalpa               | -      | -      | 1      | -      | -      |
| Kangra              | 6      | 5      | 3      | 1      | 2      |
| Kinnaur             | 10     | 6      | 6      | 6      | -      |
| Kullu               | 3      | 2      | 2      | 2      | 1      |
| Lahaul and Spiti    | 4      | 4      | 6      | 8      | 1      |
| Mandi               | 5      | 11     | 3      | 6      | 4      |
| Shimla              | 11     | 4      | 2      | 2      | 2      |
| Sirmaur             | 1      | 2      | -      | -      | -      |
| Solan               | -      | -      | 1      | -      | -      |
| Total               | 67     | 54     | 45     | 36     | 23     |

## District-wise recorded earthquakes in Karnataka (2021-2025)

| District/Region   | 2021   | 2022   | 2023   | 2024   | 2025   |
|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Ballari           | -      | 1      | 2      | 7      | -      |
| Bidar             | 3      | 3      | 7      | 2      | 3      |
| Bijapur           | 1      | 13     | -      | -      | -      |
| Chikkaballapur    | 3      | 3      | -      | -      | -      |
| Chitradurga       | -      | 1      | -      | -      | -      |
| Dakshina Kannada  | -      | 2      | -      | -      | -      |
| Gulbarga          | 6      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| Hassan            | 1      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| Kalaburagi        | -      | 1      | 5      | -      | 4      |
| Kodagu            | -      | 3      | -      | -      | 1      |
| Kolar             | -      | 1      | -      | -      | -      |
| Koppal            | -      | -      | -      | -      | 1      |
| Mysuru            | -      | 1      | -      | -      | -      |
| Raichur           | -      | -      | 3      | -      | 1      |
| Uttara Kannada    | -      | -      | -      | 1      | -      |
| Vijayanagara      | -      | 1      | 1      | -      | -      |
| Vijayapura        | 11     | 6      | 6      | 2      | 7      |
| Total             | 25     | 36     | 24     | 12     | 17     |

- (f)-(h)  Spatial  coverage of the  seismic monitoring network is periodically assessed for the entire country, including high seismic hazard regions such as Himachal Pradesh and parts of the Western Ghats. Presently, the network is capable of detecting earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and above in any part of the country. The continuous ground motion data from NCS-operated field stations is processed in near real time for rapid estimation of earthquake parameters, generation of ShakeMaps/intensity maps, and timely dissemination of earthquake information to  Government  authorities,  stakeholders  and  the  public. Funds  for  augmentation  and maintenance  of  the  National  Seismological  Network  are  under  PRITHVI  scheme  of  the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The funds utilized under Central scheme for network augmentation during the last three years are Rs.2.96 crores .

*****