95% households in India vulnerable to earthquakes

As many as 95% households in the country are vulnerable to earthquakes in different degrees, says a report by the Building Materials Technology Promotion Council, which may have significant implications for urban planners

According to a report, ‘Earthquake hazard zoning maps’, by the Building Materials Technology Promotion Council (BMPTC), as many as 95% households in the country are vulnerable to earthquakes. The BMPTC is a government-sponsored body, for promoting appropriate building technology.

“Out of the 304 million households in the country, about 95% are vulnerable to earthquakes in different degrees,” BMPTC’s executive director Sailesh Agarwal, said, while sharing the report.

The BMPTC has prepared maps, on the behest of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), using the data available with the Survey of India, Geological Survey of India, Meteorological Department and Census of India, an official statement said. These colour-coded maps, which have tehsil-level details and convey the location in five different zones of earthquake intensity, were released by the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

See also: How to check the construction quality of a project

Appreciating their efforts, Naidu has asked both, the BMPTC and NDMA agencies, to ensure digitisation of these maps at the earliest, so that they could be used by the public. He also suggested that the agencies develop a mobile application, based on these maps.

“These maps would be of significant help to architects, engineers, land use planners, insurance agencies and those involved in disaster mitigation, emergency planning and management,” Naidu added.

 

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