Is something big going to strike Delhi – NCR?

Anoosha Jamal

We all are going through a plight, where problems are hitting us in a row. Vizag gas leak, Uttrakhand fire, locusts attacks, Amphan cyclone, and above all COVID 19 but the list doesn’t end here, some of the top geologists predicted that a vigorous earthquake would going to hit the capital region of India soon.

On 29 May 2020, Delhi – NCR experienced its seventh earthquake from the last one and a half month. They all were of very less magnitude and didn’t affect any life and property. Delhi falls under high-risk seismic zones and the reason is unresting Indian tectonic plates even after 50 million years of the formation of the Himalayan range, it was formed due to the smashing of Indian tectonic plates into Eurasian plates which caused the crust to lift upwards in the form of mountains. Geologists noticed a Similar movement of Indian tectonic plates in which are moving 6-7 cm per year in the ensuing mountain formation.

“We cannot predict time, place or exact scale, but do believe that there is a consistent seismic activity going around in the NCR region and can trigger in a major earthquake in Delhi,” said Dr. Kalachand Sain, Chief of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, a premier autonomous institute, run under Union Ministry of Science and Technology.

Despite being in the seismic zone 4, the buildings in the capital region of the country are not conformed to BIS therefore, they are not earthquake resistant. Professor Chandon Ghose of IIT-Jammu, an expert on earthquake engineering said “At Richter scale 6.0, the effect of the earthquake in Delhi would be devastating. Many buildings would be razed to dust.”

“Our study recommends an urgent modification in the existing building code. However, the government
has yet to implement the report which underlines the new safety measures to be taken by authorities to
secure people’s life and property in case a major earthquake hits the metro,” said Dr. A K Shukla, former
Head of Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre, Indian Metrology Department.