 under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is the nodal agency involved in monitoring seismic activity across the country with the help of National network consisting of 166 stations.){kind=link}
As per an official press release on behalf of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) India; the Kangra earthquake of 1905, which was one of the most devastating earthquakes in India’s history, serves as a reminder of the seismic risks faced by regions in the Himalayan belt, including Indian State of Himachal Pradesh.
This earthquake caused widespread destruction, loss of life, and left a lasting impact on the area. It highlighted the need for preparedness in earthquake-prone zones, especially through improved infrastructure, disaster management strategies, and public awareness.
Currently National Centre for Seismology (NCS) under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is the nodal agency involved in monitoring seismic activity across the country with the help of National network consisting of 166 stations.
Soon 100 more seismological observatories will be added to the seismological network of India by NCS-MoES. Typically, such initiatives are aimed at better earthquake monitoring, early warning systems, and research into seismic activity. However, timelines for operationalization can vary.
NCS conducts regular studies and maintain seismic networks to analyze earthquake data and disseminates this information to various stakeholders of national and state levels using advance technology. Details of earthquakes, which have been detected and reported in and around the country by the National Seismological Network are available on the website of NCS (seismo.gov.in).
The number of permanent seismological observatories in Himachal Pradesh are seven. Details of these observatories and earthquakes occurring in this region and countrywide are available on the website of NCS (seismo.gov.in).
Given the heightened seismic activity in the region, the government is likely to continue efforts to expand the network of observatories to improve earthquake preparedness and response capabilities.
This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply.
Remembering, how Ahmedabad of Gujarat State was affected in the earthquake on 26 January 2001 one shatters to the core. On that Republic Day of the country, when all people of the country were in a jocund mood of vast celebrations; a series of powerful earthquakes registering 7.9 on the Richter scale had struck Gujarat in Western India. The disaster affected a radius of 100km including Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat. It had left 300,000 people homeless with no shelter and inadequate water supplies.
This earthquake had struck near the town of Bhuj, and it was felt throughout much of northwestern India and parts of Pakistan. In addition to killing more than 20,000 people and injuring more than 150,000 others, the quake had left hundreds of thousands homeless and destroyed or damaged more than a million buildings. A large majority of the local crops were ruined as well. Many people were forced to live in makeshift shelters even many years later.
Over the centuries, earthquakes have been responsible for millions of deaths and an incalculable amount of damage to property. Depending on their intensity, earthquakes can topple buildings and bridges, rupture gas pipelines and other infrastructure, and trigger landslides, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Great earthquakes occur on average about once per year.
Earthquake waves, more commonly known as seismic waves, are vibrations generated by an earthquake and propagated within Earth or along its surface. There are four principal types of elastic waves: two, primary and secondary waves, travel within Earth, whereas the other two, Rayleigh and Love waves, called surface waves, travel along its surface. Seismic waves can also be produced artificially by explosions.
As per experts, Seismic waves are produced when some form of energy stored in Earth’s crust is suddenly released. Usually these occur when masses of rock straining against one another suddenly fracture and “slip.” The major fault lines of the world are located at the fringes of the huge tectonic plates that make up Earth’s crust.
Seismology, which involves the scientific study of all aspects of earthquakes, has yielded answers to questions as why and how earthquakes occur.
About 50,000 earthquakes large enough to be noticed without the aid of instruments occur annually over the entire Earth. Of these, approximately 100 are of sufficient size to produce substantial damage if their centers are near areas of habitation. The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that the Indian plate is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 58% of the land is
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