Gujarat: ISR launches 'earthquake hazard map' to mitigate earthquake impact
The Institute of Seismological Research (ISR), a Gujarat state agency, has come out with an 'earthquake hazard map' of the state, which provides information about how intense the ground movement can be if earthquake hits a particular place. It can help town planners and architects take necessary precautions to mitigate the impact of a possible earthquake, ISR officials said.
ISR took data of seismic activities in Gujarat from 1668
ISR took into account data of seismological activity recorded in Gujarat between 1668 and 2016, says ISR scientist Madan Mohan Rout. It plans to bring out the map in a coffee-table book format, said Ravi Kumar, Director General of the ISR. "We have developed the map for all 33 districts. It shows ground acceleration to be experienced in different parts of Gujarat," Kumar said.
Bhuj and Rann of Kutch highly actively seismic zones
As per the map, Bhuj and the Rann of Kutch are highly active seismic zones, and are expected to experience the highest degree of ground motion in the state. The map also shows that the areas of Saurashtra which are close to Kutch are also likely to experience high levels of ground motion, but not as much as in Kutch.
East Gujarat likely to experience least ground motion
Certain areas of Banaskantha, Patan, Morbi and Surendranagar are likely to experience relatively less ground motion compared to Kutch, but higher than rest of the state. Areas in Surat and Navsari districts in south Gujarat could experience more ground motion compared to other areas, while districts in eastern part of the state are likely to experience the least ground motion during an earthquake.
