By AH Scott Lyngdoh
What remains embedded in my boyhood memory is of a cyclist while on his way in Quetta, being swallowed up as the earth opened, never to be seen again. Such disasters some on a gigantic scale appear every now and then causing destruction irrespective of ranks, class or community. The NEIST (North East Institute of Science &Technology) during Sept, 2016 gave some bone-chilling predictions that if an earthquake were to occur, nearly 35,454 people living in 5,950 houses in East Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills would be rendered homeless. Some 81,343 people living in 15,968 houses in the East Khasi Hills, South Garo Hills(Meghalaya) and Kamrup rural (Assam) will be seriously injured and traumatized abandoning houses and property. Whether such ghastliness has any resemblance of accuracy is not the point – it is the readiness to face the consequences.
India has 5 earthquake prone zones – regions that are extremely susceptible to seismic activity. The northern and the North-eastern regions being mountainous, Himalayan regions are more prone to being affected by frequent earthquakes. The north-eastern part of the country is not only located at the centre of one of the most active earthquake prone regions of the country but is also exposed to very high damage given the nature of the terrain. Relief operations in the area become slow due to the great landslides triggered by the earthquake. Much of this region is also covered by thick forests adding on to the woes of rescue units. The recent Manipur earthquake of Jan, 2016 has brought the region’s vulnerability into the spotlight. Let us take a look at some of the worst earthquakes to have affected north-eastern India.
Not only was the Assam earthquake of 1897 one of the earliest recorded in the region, it was also one of the most devastating. The earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 Mw measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. Assam and the north-east were not much developed at the time and since the quake destroyed all means of communication, very little was reported. What is known, though, is that the impact was felt far throughout the region even as far as Calcutta and Dacca. Most of Assam was gravely affected and the towns of Guwahati, Shillong, Goalpara and Dhubri lost many lives and dwellings. Tura, Nagaon, Barpeta and Nalbari also recorded much damage. About 1542 people were officially recorded as having died at that time, though it is likely that many more lives were lost and the faulty communication failure prevented proper recordkeeping. Injuries and damage to property and livestock was immense.
The next major earthquake occurred in 1934 affecting areas in Nepal-Bihar causing about 10,000 deaths. Nearer home was the 15th August, 1950 earthquake ripping through the heart of Assam killing 3000 people, destroying property and livestock as well. One of the more important effects was the landslide it caused in Assam near Dulungmukh blocking the Subansiri, an important tributary of the Brahmaputra. Unaware of this blockage, the villagers downstream ventured out into the fast drying riverbed and paid no heed to warnings issued by the govt. Three days later as the blockade collapsed, the rush of water downstream flooded and drowned most villages. Over 800 people died or went missing in these floods.
The earthquake on 18th Sept, 2011 rocked Sikkim and most of north-east India. Its impact was felt across Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and parts of Tibet. The epicentre was plotted at a distance of about 68 km from the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. Its occurrence at a highly populated area maximized damage and made rescue efforts very tough. About 111 people died, some 60 of them from Sikkim. Billions worth of property was reported damaged while causing yet another earthquake trauma to the people of north-eastern India. In recent times, earthquakes struck Nepal in April – May 2015, Dibrugarh in June 2015, Manipur in January 2016 and Myanmar August 2016.
Sadly, earthquakes are not predictable, but preparedness is to be a certainty. Experts suggest putting in place Emergency Operation Centres (EOC) under which all agencies come together to coordinate, response and recovery action. Considering isolation as a distinct possibility, temporary/emergency, helipads as recommended by the Indian Air Force must be part of the plan, and coordinates of these helipads made available to the govt depts./agencies. Most important are the relief and rescue operations combining sufficient stock of non-perishables, emergency healthcare/water, communication and earthmoving equipment. In fact the EOC should be so framed as to be capable of handling any unforeseen situation. Over to the NEIST for a suitable response through the Shillong Times.
(The writer is former Finance Minister, Govt of Meghalaya)