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| Focus on pre-emptive risk reduction | | |
Deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which left more than 28000 people dead, is a reminder to other parts of the globe which are prone to the earthquakes.
India has been divided into four zones viz. zone V, IV, III and II according to the seismic zoning map of India prepared by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) based on historical seismicity and strong ground motions.
Out of these zones, Zone-V exhibits the highest seismic risk and Zone-II has the least. All districts of Kashmir and Doda district fall in Seismic Zone-V, and the rest of the districts in J&K fall in Seismic Zone-IV.
The earthquakes cannot be predicted as they strike without any warnings. Neither can these be prevented. One can only be prepared in case the disaster strikes.
The earthquake falls in the category of such disasters which strike without a warning and cause huge devastation within a few seconds or minutes.
Pre-emptive risk reduction is the key. There is a need for sound response mechanisms in case of any eventuality. Practical ways need to be explored to reduce vulnerability to a variety of natural hazards that claim many lives and hit economies.
The United Nations 2009 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction had pointed out that natural disasters are beyond human control. However action and inaction by people can profoundly affect their outcome, exacerbating or mitigating their effects on the populace.
As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned it falls in the seismic zone and there could be no escape from earthquakes. The only way to save the region from huge losses is to take effective measures to reduce the losses.
People need to bear in mind that raising structures and settlements on unconsolidated materials can spell doom. The tectonically active zones in Jammu and Kashmir should be declared as no construction zones as these are unsuitable for the purpose.
Earthquakes are a reality. J&K falls in the seismic zone too is reality so it’s important for people to understand that haphazard constructions and raising high buildings can prove fatal if the disaster strikes. The Turkey-Syria earthquake has given many lessons and we should learn from these. |
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