Only 14% Indians confident in building safety, says survey
What's the story
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Delhi and the neighboring National Capital Region (NCR) early Monday morning, while another of the same magnitude was reported in Bihar later in the day.
The tremors were felt around 5:36am prompting many to rush outdoors in panic.
The epicenter was located in Delhi at a shallow depth of five kilometers.
Safety concerns
Survey reveals low confidence in building safety
To assess how prepared citizens are in the event of a high-intensity earthquake, LocalCircles conducted a survey, which found that only 14% of Indians think their homes are earthquake-resistant.
The study garnered over 43,000 responses from people across 178 districts in India.
It discovered that a shocking 87% of respondents have never had a building safety audit conducted on their homes, raising fears of possible corruption between builders and municipal corporations undermining building safety standards.
Seismic risk
Delhi's high-risk seismic zone classification
Delhi falls under Zone IV on India's seismic map, which means it has a history of moderate earthquakes.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) states that rapid urbanization heightens the risk of severe economic damage due to earthquakes.
In the last two decades, India has witnessed 10 major earthquakes, killing over 20,000 people.
Expert explanation
NCS director explains recent earthquake
National Centre for Seismology (NCS) Director Mishra explained that the recent quake was due to "in-situ material heterogeneity" and added that aftershocks would naturally decrease in magnitude.
Mishra also assured residents that there is nothing to worry about as aftershocks of lesser magnitude are "natural" and will go away after the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that had struck Delhi early Monday.