|
Assam : Action plan after US alert |
 |
With scientists from the US raising the alarm about the possibility of a major earthquake rocking the State as a sequel to the one that shattered South and South East Asia on December 26, Assam government has sought the opinion of disaster management experts on mitigating the extent of damage in case of any such eventuality.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that all the districts of the State had been instructed to remain prepared with emergency disaster management strategy in the event of an earthquake.
“We are in touch with disaster management experts, and are seeking their advice on mitigation of loss to lives and property due to an earthquake,” he said.
The Chief Minister and his officials were huddled in a detailed discussion with experts from different institutions including Guwahati IIT at his official residence last week in view of the alarm raised by the scientists from Earth Observing and Space Research in George Mason University in Virginia, US.
Assam which falls under the highly active seismic zone five in the country is “due” for a mega-quake for a longtime, according to experts. The State was hit by a mega-quake in 1950 which wreaked havoc in the Brahmaputra Valley lifting the bed of the mighty river by several feet.
In fact, the north-eastern region is considered to be most earthquake prone zone in India given that at least 17 earthquakes measuring more than six on the Richter Scale have rocked the region in the last 100 years.
Disaster experts apprehend that lack of open space in the city of Guwahati which has witnessed a boom in high-rise construction of late, may pose a serious threat to its populace in case of a mega-quake.
The city has been covered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under its Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project. Sources involved in implementation of the project in the city said that the area is dotted with a number of narrow lanes and by-lanes which will pose hurdles in rescue operations in case of natural disasters like earthquakes.
Meanwhile, schools and colleges in the State have been instructed to set up disaster management cells on war-footing with teachers, NCC cadets and common students. These cells should be in place by the end of this month.
|
