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Over 500 aftershocks since Gujarat quake

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

More than 500 aftershocks of differing intensities have been recorded by seismologists of the Indian Meteorological Department since the massive earthquake that rocked Gujarat and other parts of the country on January 26, Additional Director General S K Srivastav told rediff.com on Monday.

"Tremors of intensity 1 and 2 occur frequently, but we do not record them. We record all tremors with an intensity of 3 or above on the Richter Scale. So I can tell you that we have recorded more than 500 aftershocks. Aftershocks with an intensity of 4 and more are capable of causing widespread damage, particularly to houses that have been damaged in the original quake," he warned.

"More people were killed in the Latur region because of aftershocks than from the original earthquake. So I would request the people of the quake-hit areas of Gujarat to keep away from those buildings that have been damaged," he added.

He clarified that Monday's tremor in Bangalore, which measured 4.5 on the Richter Scale and whose epicentre was 30 kilometres south of the city, had no relation whatsoever with the original earthquake in Gujarat.

Discussing the possibility of an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more hitting the capital, Dr Srivastav agreed that could happen, since Delhi lies in an area classified as zone IV in the country's seismic map.

But he refused to speculate on the kind of damage it could cause. "You know what the density of Delhi's population is. You also know that most of the buildings in Delhi do not have earthquake-resistant mechanisms. I therefore appeal to all the people of Delhi to get their houses fitted with such devices. It is better to spend Rs 12,000 now than to find oneself under the rubble."

Dr Srivastav explained that Delhi is surrounded by several fault lines. "One of them is in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, the other is in Sohna, Haryana, and the third major fault is the Ridge, which runs through the heart of the capital," he said.

The IMD has started work on the re-distribution of Delhi into various micro zones so that "we can tell residents if a quake occurs in Gujarat or any other part of the country, how these zones will behave according to their resistant power. The earthquake in Chamoli had its impact on the trans-Yamuna area and some buildings developed big cracks though the epicentre was 300km away," he said.

The IMD has set up 16 observatories in Delhi to keep an eye on seismic activity in and around the capital, he added.

The Complete Coverage

OTHER SITES WITH INFORMATION
ON THE GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE:
panjokutch.com
kutchinfo.com
ahmedabad.com

EXTERNAL LINKS
The RD Killer Quake of Jan 26, 2001: Technical details
All about earthquakes in India and their impact
India Meteorological Department's earthquake reports
Disaster relief set-up in India
Major earthquakes across the world in recent times
A post-quake volunteer's unusual tryst with the departed
Earthquake News: Web site offering comprehensive news, information and features
Earthquake site map
USGS: Earthquake Hazards Program

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