GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.255
TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2005

CATEGORISATION OF EARTHQUAKE PRONE AREAS

*255. SHRI RAKESH SINGH:
SHRI DEVIDAS PINGLE:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
be pleased to state:

(a) whether urban areas are categorised on the basis of the intensity of earthquakes;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether there is any action plan with the Government for the safety of such areas in the event of an earthquake as per the said categorisation; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE DEPARTMENT OF OCEAN DEVELOPMENT
(KAPIL SIBAL)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT AS REFERRED IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.255 FOR 09.12.2005 REGARDING "CATEGORISATION OF EARTHQUAKE PRONE AREAS"

(a) & (b): No, Sir. Urban areas by themselves have not been categorised on the basis of the intensity of earthquakes. However, the country as a whole has been divided into four zones, namely Zone-II to Zone-V as per the seismic zoning map prepared by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Zone-V is considered to be most seismically active, while Zone-II is the least. Broadly, Zone-V includes entire North Eastern India, parts of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rann of Kutch, parts of North Bihar and Andaman & Nicobar Islands region. Zone-IV covers, parts of J&K and Himachal Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, Sikkim, Northern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan and a small portion of Maharashtra. Zone-III encompasses Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep Islands, remaining parts of UP, Gujarat and West Bengal, parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. The remaining parts of the country lie in seismic Zone-II.

c) & (d): Since urban areas have not been categorised separately, a process of microzonation of some of the urban areas has been started. However, the country has been divided into four zones. Taking this as a base, a Committee of Experts was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to develop model building byelaws, town and country planning legislations, zoning regulations and development control regulations for earthquake risk mitigation and management. The report submitted by the said Committee, in July, 2004, has already been circulated to the State Governments/Union Territories Administrations with the advice to adopt them to meet the requirements of the States. Two national programmes for capacity building in earthquake risk management have been undertaken for training of 20,000 engineers and architects. The Department of Science and Technology also supports, regularly, specific training courses/workshops to create awareness on earthquakes amongst the masses with a view to cope with a future disaster in a better way.