Geography · Ch 6 — Natural Hazards and Disasters
Earthquakes
Earthquakes
Earthquakes sit apart from every other natural disaster because they are the most unpredictable and the most destructive. A quake can strike without warning, level a city in seconds, and leave an area of influence that dwarfs most other hazards. The root cause lies in the earth’s crust itself: a sudden release of energy during tectonic activity sets off a series of earth movements, and it is these movements that we feel as shaking.
Not all earthquakes are equal. The truly devastating ones are tectonic in origin — they come from the slow, relentless motion of the earth’s plates, and their reach is enormous. By contrast, earthquakes linked to volcanic eruptions, rock falls, landslides, subsidence (especially in mining areas), and the impounding of dams and reservoirs are far more limited in both their area of influence and the scale of damage they cause. So when we speak of earthquakes as a major natural hazard, we are really speaking of the tectonic kind. …
Among all the natural disasters, earthquakes are the most unpredictable and highly destructive natural disaster. The causes of earthquakes have already been dealt with in the book Fundamentals of Physical Geography (NCERT, 2024). Devastating earthquakes occur mainly due to some tectonic movement inside the earth's crust; occurrence of earthquakes due to volcanic eruption, rock fall, landslides or a big explosion are limited in scope and magnitude, and hence, are less devastating.
As discussed in Chapter 2 of this book, the Indian plate is moving at a speed of one cm per year towards the north and northeastern direction and this movement is being obstructed by the Eurasian plate from the north, which results in a accumulation of energy at different points of time, and the energy accumulated due to friction gets released, resulting into earthquakes along the Himalayan arch.
Central-western parts of the country, particularly Gujarat (1819, 1956 and 2001) and Maharashtra (1967 and 1993), have also experienced severe earthquakes. It is difficult to explain the cause of earthquakes in this part of the country as it is not easily explained by the theory of plate tectonics, as this part of India is considered part of the stable Peninsular block. Recently, scientists have identified a fault line in this region and there are some events which suggest that a great amount of energy is being accumulated in this region and it may cause a big earthquake in the near future along the river Bhima (Krishna) near Latur and Osmanabad (Maharashtra). This region has experienced the phenomenon of a fresh outburst or a fresh place of energy discharge, which suggests the possibility of breaking down of the Indian plate into some more pieces, making it prone to more frequent earthquakes. …
The World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, held at Yokohama, Japan, from 23-27 May 1994, and attended by state parties to the United Nations, acknowledged that the growing world population, its increasing concentration, and socio-economic development are leading to greater loss of life and property from natural disasters, and that the poor and disadvantaged, particularly in developing countries, are the worst hit. The conference resolved that: (i) each country bears the sovereign responsibility to protect its citizens from the effect of natural disasters; (ii) priority attention should be given to developing countries, particularly the least developed, land-locked and small island developing states; (iii) developing, strengthening and implementing relevant policies, legislation, plans, capacity building, especially at community level, drawing on the partnership with the NGOs, is essential; (iv) it is necessary to develop and strengthen national capacity and capability, and where appropriate, national legislation for natural and other disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, including the mobilisation of NGOs and participation of local community; and to promote and strengthen sub-regional, regional and international cooperation in activities to prevent, reduce and mitigate natural and other disasters, with particular emphasis on: (a) human and institutional capacity-building and …