Dhanbad: The recent earthquake in Nepal in which over 150 people were killed has left the people in India especially the residents of Himalayan states worried. While precautions are key to preventing loss of life and property, it would be ideal if there is a mechanism in place to forecast earthquakes. A senior scientist believes such a system could soon be a reality in India with work going on in this regard.
In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Dr. PK Khan, senior faculty of IIT ISM Geophysics in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand shed light on the causes of earthquakes and the precautionary measures to be taken by the people. Dr. PK Khan said that the earthquakes are caused due to the friction of the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate as a result of which a huge amount of energy is released in the form of earthquakes.
Also read: In the clutches of earthquakes: A call for disaster preparedness
The farther this energy goes, the more powerful the earthquake will be. Historical reports show that earthquakes have been occurring in Nepal since a long time. Most earthquakes occur along the Nepal-Sikkim border areas. The earthquakes pose a danger to the residents living in the Himalayas. Dr PK Khan said that through forecast, the devastation caused during earthquake can be avoided and human life can be saved.
“People's lives can be saved to a great extent through earthquake early warning system,” he said. The top scientist said that Early Warning System is available with only four countries in the world- US, Japan, Italy and Israel. Dr PK Khan told that it was being developed by India also. “Work on this project continued for three years for which the Government of India had released an amount of Rs 1.5 crore. But, this project was halted due to Corona pandemic. All the equipment for this project is lying in IIT ISM,” he said. He said that the government is collaborating with Israel University for the project.
“The early warning system developed by Israel is slightly better than America and Japan. Work on this project had started in India, which got blocked due to Corona. But this project will be started again,” he said.
