Another earthquake of 2.7 magnitude in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: With Delhi as epicentre, earthquake tremors have been experienced twice in the national Capital and its adjoining areas in last 24 hours. Both the earthquakes are of low intensity but the experts claim that the area falls in seismic zone IV, which is considered as the severe category, hence an earthquake-prone zone.

Not only the areas along Yamuna and its flood plain but high-rises in Noida and Gurugram also make the area vulnerable as such residential structures do not ensure security despite declaring themselves to be earthquake resistant.

According to the reports, Delhi sits on top of three active seismic fault lines: Sohna fault line, Mathura fault line and Delhi-Moradabad fault line. However, Gurgaon sits on seven fault lines, which makes it the riskiest area in Delhi-NCR. If any of these become active, it can cause an earthquake of up to 7.5 magnitude.

Highly populated residential colonies in East Delhi will be among the worst-hit during an earthquake, according to a report on "seismic hazard microzonation" of Delhi brought out by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Lutyens' Delhi also falls under the risk zone. North campus, Sarita Vihar, Gita Colony, Shakarpur, Paschim Vihar, Wazirabad, Rithala, Rohini, Jahangirpuri, Bawana, Karol Bagh and Janakpuri fall under the 'high hazard zone'.

On Monday, mild tremors were felt in parts of Delhi and adjoining areas. This is the second consecutive day that a low-intensity earthquake hit the national Capital. A 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit the city at around 1:26 pm at a depth of 5 km, according to the National Centre for Seismology. There were no immediate reports of any damage to property.

On Sunday evening, a quake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale in North Delhi's Wazirabad shook the city at around 5:45 pm, prompting panic-stricken people to come out of their houses. The tremors were also felt in Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.