India’s entire Himalayan stretch, spanning from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, has now been classified under Zone VI, categorising it as the country’s highest earthquake-prone area. This reclassification comes under the revised Earthquake Design Code issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) grouped the country into five categories based on expected levels of damage: Very high damage risk, high damage risk, moderate damage risk, low damage risk and very low damage risk.
As per the updated seismic map, nearly 61 per cent of India’s land area now falls under moderate to high earthquake-prone zones. Nearly 75 per cent of the country’s population lives in seismically active regions.
The Himalayas are located along a convergent plate boundary where the Indian Plate pushes into the Eurasian Plate. This ongoing collision has heightened seismic hazards not only in the mountain states but also across the adjoining plains. Regions such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, the Northeast, as well as parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and the Delhi-NCR area now face increased earthquake risk.
What is Earthquake Design Code?
An earthquake design code is a set of engineering standards that help in ensuring how buildings and structures should be constructed in a planned manner to withstand earthquakes. It specifies design methods, material requirements, load calculations and safety measures to reduce damage and protect life during earthquakes, ensuring structures perform reliably under seismic activity.
Safety measures during earthquake
Do not panic: People in the region hit by an earthquake should stay calm as it may lead to injuries. A person can think effectively in a calm state of mind.
Avoid running outside: Most injuries during quakes occur when people run around different locations in panic. In such conditions, they may come in contact with falling debris.
Avoid using lifts: People should not use lifts to ascend or descend from their towers as power may fail and they may get trapped inside. Always use the stairs in such cases.
