From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Oct 4: An expert advised people in northeastern and northern India to take preventive measures and be mentally prepared for more jolts after two moderate earthquakes hit Meghalaya and New Delhi in quick succession.
Earthquakes, aftershocks, and tremors are taking place more frequently than before, Uttarakhand-based professor of geography Mahavir Negi said.
“The massive energy building up beneath the ground surface is not getting released at the rate at which it should. Unless an earthquake of an intensity of 8 or more on the moment magnitude scale occurs, the restless energy will try to unleash in the form of earthquakes of lower magnitudes,” he said.
“These mild earthquakes occurring frequently are a very strong indicator that a big earthquake is on the way. Once that happens, this energy build-up below the surface will be released,” Prof Negi said, advising people to prepare themselves for the major natural event rather than wait for it to inflict damage.
The Delhi-National Capital Region and parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh were shaken by strong tremors on Tuesday afternoon. The tremors occurred in four intervals.
These tremors were a result of the earthquake that happened in Nepal. Earlier this year, Delhi and adjoining areas felt strong tremors on January 23 (5.8), March 21 (6.6), May 28 (5.2), June 13 (5.4), and August 5 (5.8).
On Monday, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit Meghalaya and the tremors were felt in Assam as well as other parts of the region and Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.
“One thing that can be done is to pitch for the construction of earthquake-proof buildings because earthquakes do not kill people. It is the collapsing structures that are responsible for casualties. In simple words, we have to be proactive rather than wait for the inevitable,” Prof Negi, who is the head of the Geography Department at the HNB Central University, said.
Meanwhile, Dutch seismologist Frank Hoogerbeets has pointed out “potential” areas where seismic activity is likely to take place, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. He is being lauded online for “correctly predicting” the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey observing planetary positions at that time.
At the same time, scientists are unanimous that earthquakes cannot be predicted.