Lok Sabha Question No. 3220 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-16
Subject: Seismic Zoning
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, POONAM  MAHAJAN, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA

- (a)
- Yes Madam.
- (b) Bureau of Indian Standard [IS 1983 (Part I):2002] has grouped the country into four seismic zones viz. Zone-II, Zone-III, Zone-IV and Zone-V. Of these, Zone  V  is  seismically  the  most  prone  region  with  higher  incidence  of activities of earthquakes and Zone II is the least prone region with lower incidents of activities of earthquakes.

Broadly, Zone-V comprises of 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 & 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,  parts  of Telangana,  parts  of  Andhra  Pradesh,  Tamilnadu  and  Karnataka.  Zone-II covers remaining parts of the country.

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3220

## TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

## SEISMIC ZONING

## 3220. DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN:

SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA:

Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has classified the country into four major groups as per macro seismic zoning map of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, city/townwise;
- (c) whether the Government has released a detailed report on 'seismic hazard microzonation' on major cities that fall in the different seismic zones across the country recently;
- (d) if so, the factors that are taken into account before finalizing the buildings/ localities which are vulnerable; and
- (e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to minimize the risk of life as well as property during earthquakes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

(SHRI Y. S. CHOWDARY)

Important towns/urban areas in India, falling in seismic zones II, III, IV and V are in Annexure-I.

- (c) The government has released detailed report on Seismic hazard microzonation of National Capital Territory (NCT) Delhi and Kolkata only.
- (d) The factors which were considered at sites for generation of seismic hazard index are as under;
-  Peak ground acceleration at surface
-  amplification factor
-  Liquefaction potential
-  Engineering bedrock depth
-  Site classification based on shear wave velocity
-  Predominant frequency
-  Geology and geomorphology

Based  on  above  study,  urban  areas  are  divided  into  four  hazard  zones, namely; such as Least, Moderate, High and Very High.

- (e) Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  (BIS)  has  published  several  guidelines  and building codes for construction of earthquake resistant structures and for retrofitting of existing buildings. These guidelines are widely used by various administrative regulatory authorities responsible for ensuring the design and construction of earthquake resistant structures in various states.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  and  other  state  Disaster  Management Authorities, have also 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.

## Annexure-I

## List of important towns falling in seismic zone II, III, IV and V

| Town        | State/UT       | Zone   | Town        | State/UT                  | Zone   |
|-------------|----------------|--------|-------------|---------------------------|--------|
| Agra        | Utter Pradesh  | III    | Chitradurga | Karnataka                 | II     |
| Ahmedabad   | Gujarat        | III    | Coimbatore  | Tamil nadu                | III    |
| Ajmer       | Rajasthan      | II     | Cuddalore   | Tamil Nadu                | III    |
| Allahabad   | Utter Pradesh  | II     | Cuttack     | Orissa                    | III    |
| Almora      | Uttrakhand     | IV     | Darbhanga   | Bihar                     | V      |
| Ambala      | Haryana        | IV     | Darjeeling  | West Bengal               | IV     |
| Amritsar    | Punjab         | IV     | Dharwad     | Karnataka                 | III    |
| Asansol     | West Bengal    | III    | Dehradun    | Uttrakhand                | IV     |
| Aurangabad  | Maharastha     | II     | Dharmpuri   | Tamil Nadu                | III    |
| Baharich    | Utter Pradesh  | IV     | Delhi       | Delhi                     | IV     |
| Bangalore   | Karnataka      | II     | Durgapur    | West Bengal               | III    |
| Barauni     | Bihar          | IV     | Gangtok     | Sikkim                    | IV     |
| Bareilly    | Utter Pradesh  | III    | Guwahati    | Assam                     | V      |
| Belgaum     | Karnataka      | III    | Goa         | Goa                       | III    |
| Bhatinda    | Punjab         | III    | Gulbarga    | Karnataka                 | II     |
| Bhilai      | Chattiagarh    | II     | Gaya        | Bihar                     | III    |
| Bhopal      | Madhya Pradesh | II     | Gorakhpur   | Utter Pradesh             | IV     |
| Bhubaneswar | Orissa         | III    | Hyderabad   | Andhra Pradesh /Telangana | II     |
| Bhuj        | Gujarat        | V      | Imphal      | Manipur                   | V      |
| Bijapur     | Karnataka      | III    | Jabalpur    | Madhya Pradesh            | III    |
| Bikaner     | Rajasthan      | III    | Jaipur      | Rajasthan                 | II     |
| Bokaro      | Jharkhand      | III    | Jamshedpur  | Jharkhand                 | II     |
| Bulandshahr | Utter Pradesh  | IV     | Jhansi      | Utter Pradesh             | II     |
| Burdwan     | West Bengal    | III    | Jodhpur     | Rajasthan                 | II     |
| Cailcut     | Kerala         | III    | Jorhat      | Assam                     | V      |
| Chandigarh  | Chandigarh     | IV     | Kakrapara   | Gujarat                   | III    |
| Chennai     | Tamil Nadu     | III    | Kalapakkam  | Tamil Nadu                | III    |
| Kanchipuram | Tamil Nadu     | III    | Pondicherry | Pondicherry               | II     |

| Kanpur          | Utter Pradesh     | III   | Pune               | Maharastha        | III   |
|-----------------|-------------------|-------|--------------------|-------------------|-------|
| Karwar          | Karnataka         | III   | Raipur             | Chattisgarh       | II    |
| Kohima          | Nagaland          | V     | Rajkot             | Gujarat           | III   |
| Kolkata         | West Bengal       | III   | Ranchi             | Chattisgarh       | II    |
| Kota            | Rajasthan         | II    | Roorkee            | Uttrakhand        | IV    |
| Kurnool         | Andhra Pradesh    | II    | Rourkela           | Orissa            | II    |
| Lucknow         | Utter Pradesh     | III   | Sadiya             | Assam             | V     |
| Ludhiyana       | Punjab            | IV    | Salem              | Tamil Nadu        | III   |
| Madurai         | Tamil Nadu        | II    | Simla              | Himanchal Pradesh | IV    |
| Mandi           | Himanchal Pradesh | V     | Sironj             | Madhya Pradesh    | II    |
| Mangalore       | Karnataka         | III   | Solapur            | Maharastha        | III   |
| Monghyr         | Bihar             | IV    | Srinagar           | Jammu & Kashmir   | V     |
| Moradabad       | Utter Pradesh     | IV    | Surat              | Gujarat           | III   |
| Mumbai          | Maharastha        | III   | Tarapur            | Maharastha        | III   |
| Mysore          | Karnataka         | II    | Tezpur             | Assam             | V     |
| Nagpur          | Maharastha        | II    | Thane              | Maharastha        | III   |
| Nagarjunasag ar | Telangana         | II    | Thanjavur          | Tamil Nadu        | II    |
| Nainital        | Uttrakhand        | IV    | Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala            | III   |
| Nasik           | Maharastha        | III   | Tiruchirappali     | Tamil Nadu        | II    |
| Nellore         | Andhra Pradesh    | III   | Tiruvennamalai     | Tamil Nadu        | III   |
| Osmanabad       | Maharastha        | III   | Udaipur            | Rajasthan         | II    |
| Panjim          | Goa               | III   | Vadodara           | Gujarat           | III   |
| Patiala         | Punjab            | III   | Varanasi           | Utter Pradesh     | III   |
| Patna           | Bihar             | IV    | Vellore            | Tamil Nadu        | III   |
| Pilibhit        | Utter Pradesh     | IV    | Vijayawada         | Andhra Pradesh    | III   |
|                 |                   |       | Vishakhapatnam     | Andhra Pradesh    | II    |