This is the second reported occurrence of mild tremors in Delhi in a span of two weeks. A similar earthquake of 5.7 magnitude was recorded on August 29, which had originated 255 kilometres below earth’s surface in Afghanistan.

Earthquakes and the national capital

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in its notes on the capital’s vulnerability to earthquakes, mentioned that the city’s settlement pattern has never been viewed ‘in relation to location and geological characteristics’.

DDMA’s notes suggest that in case of an earthquake strong enough to destroy infrastructure, the casualties and the damage would be significant.

“Pockets with high rise buildings or ill-designed high-risk areas exist without specific consideration of earthquake resistance. Similarly, unplanned settlements with sub-standard structures are also prone to heavy damage even in moderate shaking,” DDMA mentioned.

It admitted that as of now, there are too few experts on earthquakes for a large country like India.

“We must focus our attention on institutional and manpower development at all levels. Extensive studies are needed for seismic hazard evaluation for different parts of Delhi and vulnerability assessment for different kinds of constructions; using these, seismic risk evaluation for Delhi must be carried out,” the disaster management authority added.

Delhi is placed in a high seismic zone (zone four). These zones are ranked from two to five depending on the vulnerability of the area.

DDMA noted that the efforts in ensuring disaster-preparedness for Delhi requires multidisciplinary approaches and should include components on technical training, institutional development, development of technical manuals, legal and enforcement aspects and public awareness programmes.

“Most importantly, we need the political will to handle this problem and the biggest challenge perhaps lies in drawing the attention of political leadership to this problem when the city faces many other urgent problems,” it concluded.

Experts have repeatedly suggested that in recent times, although most of the tremors felt in Delhi have had their epicentres located at a safe distance from the capital, an earthquake originating in the vicinity with a magnitude of six or above on the Richter scale is expected to be devastating.

Simply Put: Food and fire