Which disasters is delhi most prone to

This damage is caused by 'body waves', which travel from the epicentral area to the surface of the earth through the body of the earth. Once these waves reach the surface, they are transformed into 'surface waves' or 'long period surface waves'.

These waves travel along the surface of the earth, and their amplitude is the maximum at a distance of kilometres kms from the epicentre. Surface waves cause the most damage to tall structures height: 15 metres m or above. Single storey or even 2 to 3 storey buildings are not affected by surface waves. The Michoacan earthquake 8. The epicentre was km away from Mexico City, which suffered the most damage.

Then there was the Bhuj quake of January 26, also a magnitude of 8. Tall buildings in Ahmedabad, located about kms away from the epicentre, suffered heavy losses. The aftermath of these quakes holds a lesson for Delhi, which is located at a distance of kms from the Himalayan ranges.

Seismically speaking, the main boundary thrust fault mbt of the Himalaya, which runs from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, is highly active.

This zone has produced earthquakes that register over 8. Delhi is located within a distance of km from different locations of the mbt. An earthquake over 7. Unfortunately, not many such studies have been carried out so far. For instance, paleoseismics studies to locate major earthquake events of the past, e.

Due to its complex geological setting, some areas of Delhi are likely to sustain much higher levels of damages than the others and to evaluate this, detailed microzonation studies are needed. Current status of building stock The first code of practice for earthquake resistant design was developed in India as early as 's after the Quetta earthquake e. However, till date there is no legal framework to require that all constructions in Delhi must implement seismic code provisions.

The results is that most buildings in Delhi may not meet codal requirements on seismic resistance. Moreover, even if from now on we somehow ensure that all new construction will be earthquake resistant, there still will remain a very large inventory of old buildings that will be deficient for seismic safety.

We need to develop a rational seismic retrofitting policy, first for the government- owned buildings and later for the private constructions. These estimates are based on very simplistic assumptions. Systematic studies are needed on vulnerability of different types of constructions in the area.

This will require experimental studies to evaluate strength, stiffness and ductility of different types of constructions as well as as analytical studies such as the Push Over Analysis. Experiences of past earthquakes both in India abroad have clearly outlined the vulnerability of multistorey reinforced concrete buildings if not designed and constructed correctly.

Huge number of multistorey reinforced concrete buildings in Delhi, particularly those with open ground storey to accommodate vehicle parking, could also pose a major challenge in the event of a strong earthquake. Infrastructure and other implications Delhi is currently passing through a major infrastructure development phase with a large number of bridges, flyovers and the metro project under construction.

After a severe earthquake, the transport infrastructure is earthquake resistant and the old one is seismically retrofitted. Indian seismic code IS is not applicable for major projects which require special studies on seismic design criteria. Moreover, the Indian seismic codal provisions on bridges as these exist today are obsolete and inadequate e. Earthquake disaster in Delhi has the potential to go well beyond the statistics of deaths and injuries. Such a disaster in the country's capital, which also happens to be a major commercial and industrial centre, will have huge economic and political implications which will affect the entire country and not just the population of Delhi.

This adds an extra dimension to the earthquakes problem for Delhi. Plan of action A valid question at this stage will be: should one be concerned about an earthquake which has a very low probability of occurrence, when Delhi faces so many day-to-day problems of environment, noise, traffic, water and power shortage, etc?

The consequences of a severe earthquake to not seriously address the problem. Put it differently, considering the potential for a mega disaster, we cannot afford ignore the earthquake problem. Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image. You are now subscribed to our newsletters. Premium Premium Indian Railways will soon be serving only vegetarian fo Premium Premium Odisha CM distributes health cards; says 3.

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