AIR Spotlight: Earthquake Safety & Preparedness

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio News on air. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.

This article is about the discussion on: Earthquake Safety and Preparedness.

Participants: 

• Prof. Surya Prakash — Head of the Geo-Meteorological Risks Management Division, National Institute of Disaster Management.
• Gaura Dhawan Lal —- AIR Correspondent.

Context – A 6.6 magnitude quake struck southeast of Fayzabad in Afghanistan, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). Earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR and parts of North India.

Earthquake

An earthquake is a natural event that results in the shaking of the earth. It is caused by the release of energy which generates seismic waves that travel in all directions. All earthquakes take place in the lithosphere up to a depth of 200 km from the surface of the earth. An instrument called a seismograph records the waves that reach the surface of the earth.

Types of earthquakes

1. Tectonic earthquakes due to the sliding of rocks along a fault.
2. Volcanic earthquakes due to volcanic activity.
3. Explosion earthquakes due to the explosion of a nuclear or chemical device.
4. Collapse earthquakes due to the destruction of mines which results in tremors.

Some important precautions to be taken during an earthquake 

• Drop, Cover and hold on – Drop to the ground, take cover, protecting head and neck with hands under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on to the shelter until the shaking stops.
• If you are in a moving vehicle, stop as quickly and safely as possible. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, big trees and utility wires. One should avoid flyovers, and bridges as they may get damaged during the quake.
• Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, (such as lighting fixtures or furniture).

Earthquake Resistant Structures

Earthquakes constitute one of the greatest hazards to life and property on the earth. Earthquake-resistant construction is very important to mitigate its effects. It has become essential to think right from the planning to the completion stages of a structure to avoid failure or to minimise the loss of property.

• The most important aspect of the design is to know the zone in which the structure is to be raised. The foundation should be on firm soil to maintain a structure that settles uniformly under vertical loading. The seismic waves pass quickly through a structure which is situated on a massive rock system.
• Earthquake-resistant building design guidelines are provided by a set of Indian Standard codes (IS Codes). After observing Indian earthquakes for several years, the Bureau of Indian Standards has divided the country into five zones depending on the severity of the earthquake.
• The structures that are designed and constructed in accordance with the specifications, procedures, and recommendations of these codes are capable of resisting seismic forces.
• Structures based on these designs are not entirely immune from damages during earthquakes of all magnitudes, however, such structures are able to withstand considerable intensities without total collapse.

Read more on the seismic zones of India in the linked article.

National Emergency Helpline 

The emergency number ‘112’ is a single emergency helpline number for various emergency services such as police, fire, ambulance, etc. It provides 24*7 emergency responses across the country.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India.

• The NDMA was formally constituted in September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• Its primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural and man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. 
• It is also the apex body to formulate policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure a timely and effective response to disasters.

National Centre for Seismology  (NCS)

National Center for Seismology (NCS) is the nodal agency of the Government of India for monitoring earthquake activity in the country.

• NCS maintains the National Seismological Network of more than 150 stations each having state-of-the-art equipment and spreading all across the country.
• NCS also monitors earthquake swarms and aftershocks by deploying a temporary observatory close to the affected region.
• NCS monitors earthquake activity all across the country through its 24×7 around-the-clock monitoring centre.

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction-

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) was the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda and provides Member States with concrete actions to protect development gains from the risk of disaster.

• It was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR).

• Sendai Framework is a guiding plan for disaster risk management for the period of 2015-30 with 7 targets and 4 action priorities. 
• It recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.

Conclusion – There are a number of frameworks and guidelines in place, however, earthquakes continue to remain the most common natural hazard that cannot be predicted. There is a need to build a robust culture of prevention,  preparedness, response, risk assessment  and recovery in order to minimise the hazardous effects of earthquakes.

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