Earthquake warning system for Kangra dist

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 2

The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing in collaboration with the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) has installed an earthquake alarm system in Kangra district.

Dr AK Mahajan from the department of environmental science, CUHP, said,” The system will calculate the total electron content anomaly (TEC) in the earth. This calculation will act as an alarm or precursor before an earthquake strikes.” He said two global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) had been installed at Nurpur and Jiya in Kangra district for the purpose. These stations would predict the possible upcoming earthquake or other seismic activity in the region, he said.

Several illegal constructions have come up in quake-prone areas of Dharamsala, including  Naddi and McLeodganj, in the past three decades. The Dal lake was the epicentre of the earthquake that had struck Dharamsala in 1988. The fault line of the region passes through Naddi and McLeodganj, where illegal constructions have come up in the last two decades.

Dr Mahajan said as per 2001 Census, Kangra district had 5 lakh housing units. In the last one decade, the figure had gone up. He said most structures had come up in violation of standard norms and codes for seismic zones. The situation was more alarming as Kangra fell in zone 5 in terms of seismic vulnerability, he said.

Dr Ajay Paul from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology had recently stated that 15 earthquakes had occurred in Himachal between August 2011 and July 2013. 

How it’ll work

• The earthquake warning system will calculate the total electron content anomaly (TEC) in the earth. 
• This calculation will act as an alarm or precursor before an earthquake strikes.
• Two global navigation satellite systems have been installed at Nurpur and Jiya in Kangra district for the purpose. 
• These stations will predict the possible upcoming earthquake or other seismic activity in the region