Quake-prone Delhi lacks safety measures: Expert

With Wednesday night's earthquake still haunting many in north India, aNational Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) official said the tremor was just a reminder of the vulnerability of Delhi and neighbouring areas which lack safety measures.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the 4.2 Richter scale quake shook Delhi and neighbouring areas at 11.28 pm. The epicentre of the quake was in Sonepat in Haryana, about 90 km from Delhi.

The NDMA official said Thursday that Delhi was in a high-risk seismic zone prone to earthquakes measuring 7-7.5 on the Richter scale.

"If such a high intensity earthquake comes, we have no safety measures implemented,"the NDMA official, pleading anonymity, told IANS.

"The national capital is about 300 km from the Himalayan collision zone but the tremors there could have an effect here," he said.

The Yamuna river and the adjoining areas have a high risk of earthquake. East and northeast Delhi are the most vulnerable because the soil in these areas is alluvial (smooth and unconsolidated).

According to BR Vaidya, director, seismology department, IMD, a project was underway to identify the maximum risk areas.

“Usually the area along rivers is more vulnerable because of the loose soil... the water content in the soil also matters,” Vaidya said.

He said an earthquake above 5 Richter scale can cause major damage in the national capital.The NDMA official added that there was a need for a re-look at Delhi's town planning.

“After Gujarat earthquake in 2001, the town planning there has been tremendously changed but Delhi, which is prone to frequent mild tremors, is yet to learn its lessons,” he said.

"It is high time we constructed earthquake-resistant buildings. Not just the centre, but state governments should also bring in stringent building by-laws," he said.

"Senseless construction of buildings should be avoided and at least one foot distance between two building should be maintained. Multi-storeyed buildings are dangerous," the NDMC official added.

Delhi earthquake shakes city for a second time after deadly bomb blast

An earthquake struck New Delhi Wednesday, shaking the city just hours after a deadly bomb exploded outside the high court. It was a minor quake for the earthquake-prone city, coming in at 4.3 magnitude, but for the already-nervous populace, it rattled already frayed nerves.

A bomb blast struck the capital’s high court complex in the morning, killing 11 people and injuring at least 76. The violence was claimed by a terrorist organization seeking an immediate end to the prison sentence of Afzal Guru, a Kashmiri convicted for his role in a 2001 attack on India’s Parliament. At first, people reported on Twitter that the shake made them think a second round of violence had started. However, after the first shock wore off, people quickly turned to humor to downplay the scare.

The intensity was 4.2 and the epicentre was Sonepat," Shailesh Nayak, Secretary in Ministry of Earthsciences, and IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi, told PTI.

The quake sent shivers among citizens who ran out of the high-rise buildings.

There were no immediate reports of any casualty. The fire brigade and police said they have not received any immediate calls of casualty or damage.A report from Chandigarh said that tremors were felt in Panipat, Faridabad, Gurgaon among others towns of Haryana. People rushed out of their homes in Chandigarh and Sonepat. The tremor was felt very "sharp for some seconds" in Sonepat, witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of any casualty, police said. Meanwhile, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan mentioned about the tremor on his Twitter page." The blast in Delhi in the morning and just now a 6.6 earthquake in Delhi.....just spoke to my daughter, it was horrifying but all safe," Bachchan said."Hearts and prayers for those who lost loved ones earlier today in the blast... and I do hope there has been no casualties