“Earthquakes do not kill people, but buildings kill”: Fragile Infrastructures in Kashmir

Sudden tremors had pushed residents onto the streets at 10:30 pm, on a very cold February night, as strong tremors of magnitude 6.1 struck Kashmir. Another followed, lasting several seconds.

Pictures of damaged apartment buildings in North and Central Kashmir have revived memories of 2005 when a massive earthquake killed 1,500 people and collapsed 450,000 buildings. The irregularity of the electricity supply added to the panic.

Kashmir – located in the fifth seismic zone, or high-risk zone – is still struggling with frequent earthquakes. Since last year, the valley has faced nearly 100 earthquakes. Some of them had earthquake centers near Srinagar, according to data on the National Seismology Center.

However, experts told Kashmir newspaper that earthquakes are not mainly earthquakes, but weak infrastructure that causes losses.

Imtiaz Ahmed Parvez, the chief scientist at the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, who has worked in Kashmir in the Himalayas for the past eight years, said that the infrastructure, especially the homes, is poorly built in Kashmir and lacks “earthquake resistant engineering.”

“Earthquakes do not kill people. Rather, buildings kill,” he said, adding that organizing building construction is a must, and existing homes must be rehabilitated.

Seismic zone-V

The country is broadly divided into three geological units – the Himalayas, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, and the Indian Shield. Parvez said that the reason behind the frequent earthquakes in Kashmir, which is part of the Himalayas, “is the collision between the Eurasian and Indian plate.”

Formed after the continental collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates nearly 40 million years ago, the Himalayas rose as a result of tremendous pressure. Parvez said that the Indian plate is still moving along the collision boundaries at different rates causing friction – these deformation rates, especially in Kashmir, are 14-16 mm / yr; When this stress exceeds the permissible limit, energy is released, causing earthquakes. “

Historical earthquakes of the Kashmir Valley and the surrounding area indicate about 14 devastating earthquakes have occurred since 1123. Meanwhile, the majority of Srinagar buildings are not earthquake-resistant, and the city’s earthquake readiness is very weak, according to the District Disaster Management Plan (DDM) 2020 Srinagar .

The plan also warned that: “People, homes, public buildings and entire property in the area are at risk and a major earthquake could cause severe damage to life and property.”

“Most buildings in Kashmir do not withstand earthquakes of higher intensity,” added Belkiz Dar, a disaster management consultant (DMD), while frequent light tremors reduced the strength of structures walls in Kashmir.

“It has also developed fissures, so there is a possibility that if this continues, it could lead to the collapse of such structures at any time due to the reduced intensity of earthquakes as well,” Dar said.

As there are no early warning systems in Kashmir, people should always be prepared for any eventuality as the region is known for its earthquake.

“To put things under control, DMD must have high-resolution maps in terms of projected ground movement, expected loss of life and property, which are essential to mitigate risk and manage disasters,” Parvez said.

Ultimately, according to the DDM plan, people who live in unsafe areas will be required to migrate to safer areas based on expert research, and the government will find reasonably safe areas to raise habitats.

Methods and measures

In Kashmir, Dajji Dewar – a traditional building system in Kashmir that uses a thinner wall construction method consisting of wood framing with brick or stone masonry fillings, and is now being replaced by modern building techniques – the preferred method for making buildings resistant to a certain extent Dar said the level of severity.

The DDM indicated that “if anti-earthquake technology is used in building construction, then such structures can withstand earthquakes up to a certain size”.

Aside from unsafe construction, other factors that make people vulnerable to the devastating impact of an earthquake are congested areas and home building in erosion-prone areas. Even in rural areas now, according to plan, there is a shift towards building brick and mortar homes, stacked cascading without proper planning. It also warned that “this is a very dangerous matter in an earthquake-prone area.”

However, Parvez said the only action that can be taken in earthquake areas is to assess earthquake hazards and risks in these earthquake-prone areas and go to the safe design of buildings and other infrastructure.

According to Dar, harm reduction measures should start with sensitizing and educating all citizens about the preparedness measures necessary to enhance the culture of preparedness for future generations.

She said, “A sufficient number of trained human resources must be provided with experience in managing any possibility at all levels to respond quickly to any incident.”

We have always come to you to help: Kashmir and not fight on multiple fronts – and if you don’t act now, it will be too late. 2020 was a year like no other and we have already entered it and have been beating us. Press freedom in Kashmir reached new lows, as the entire population was gradually emerging from one of the longest blackouts in the world.

We are not a big organization. A few thousand rupees from each of you will make a big difference.

Walla Kashmir plans to cover – broadly and honestly – breaking, reporting, analysis – whatever matters to you. You can help us.

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