Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Thursday, Apr 03, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Thursday, Apr 03, 2003 |
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Industry & Economy
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Natural Calamities Quake manual keeps AP in a state of readiness Our Bureau
HYDERABAD, April 2 THOUGH Andhra Pradesh is classed with the States relatively less prone to earthquakes, it is among the first States to prepare a comprehensive Earthquake Contingency Plan, with not just dos and don'ts but also preparedness to reduce potential damage. The plan in the form of a manual is intended to help the State and district administration deal with the situation before, during and after an earthquake. Suitable operational guidelines and necessary contingency plans have been outlined along with illustrations, maps and pictures. The manual is a collaborative effort of the State Revenue & Relief Department with national institutes such as the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Geological Survey of India (GSI) and National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA). Mr A.V.S. Reddy, Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department, coordinated the efforts. The devastating Gujarat earthquake two years ago triggered a series of measures, including State Governments updating codes/ manuals/ disaster plans. The Centre and State Governments also constituted high-powered committees to prepare disaster management plans to help take efforts to minimise human and economic losses. Andhra Pradesh is categorised mostly under zones I, II & III, which are in the lower bracket of the I to V seismic hazard zone map of the country. However, it has a historical record of earthquakes of moderate intensity of 3-5 on the Richter scale since 1800. In terms of the risks of an earthquake with damage potential, the most active zones in the State are the Eastern Ghat belt and the Godavari valley. The minor risk areas are Hyderabad, Vinukonda-Ongole, Chittoor and Vizianagaram, according to the manual. To monitor seismic activity, the State has five stations at Visakhapatnam, under the India Meteorological Department (IMD), at Hyderabad, Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam and Sriramsagar, under the NGRI. The manual has pointed out that these three stations need to be equipped with digital seismographs and telephone connections with STD facility for effective transmission of data. Two additional stations are being set up at Kothagudem and Cuddapah by the NGRI. The manual has pointed out that since 1800, a total of 80 earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 to 5.7 have struck different parts of the State. The strongest of them was the April 1969 Bhadrachalam earthquake, which measured 5.7 on the Richter scale.
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