Entire Uttarakhand is Now in Seismic Zone 6, Highest Category For Earthquake Vulnerability
New Delhi: In a new seismic map issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) the entire state of Uttarakhand has been placed into seismic zone 6, which is the highest category for earthquake vulnerability. The seismic map covers both the plains and mountainous region of the hill state. Prior to this latest revision, the previous classification divided the state between Zone 4 and Zone 5, reported New Indian Express.
The new classification implies that any future seismic event has the ability to cause uniform, high-level damage across all parts of Uttarakhand. The seismic zone 6 classification also means that the state will have to do a complete overahaul of infrastructure development policies and adhere to stringent, unified building codes.
"The implication of being placed entirely in Zone 6 is that infrastructure damage, should an earthquake strike, will be uniform across every region," an official familiar with the development strategy told New Indian Express. Earlier, the older building bylaws offered slight concessions for development in areas classified under Zone 4.
The fact that the building codes will have to be standardised to withstand the highest seismic risks, even up to magnitude 8, means that it will also cost substantial financial resources of the state, which already operates under constrained economic resources.
"In the older map, parts of Uttarakhand were in Zone 4 and some in Zone 5. The newly issued map places the entire state in Zone 6, making Uttarakhand significantly more vulnerable to earthquakes and disasters," state disaster management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman told the newspaper.
"This primarily involves amending the Building Bylaws. The Housing Department and the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) in Roorkee will collaborate on this. We also need to focus on public training and awareness regarding protective measures and structural design," added Suman.
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