Danger lurks as skyscrapers spring up in high-risk seismic zones

The unsafe buildings came under the spotlight after tremors of a 5.8 magnitude quake were felt across Delhi-NCR on Monday night. The quake with its epicentre in Uttarakhand triggered panic and forced lakhs of people residing in skyscrapers out of their homes. "Despite the vulnerability of the region falling under seismic zone-IV, barely any preventive measures have been taken. To stop massive levels of destruction, the rampant constructions should immediately be stopped in the 'high damage risk zone'."

According to experts, though tremors are caused due to movement of tectonic plates but the skyscrapers in an unplanned urbanisation lead to higher levels of destruction during powerful earthquakes. "The areas marked with the highest level of seismic zones always require immediate attention.

Increased seismic activity at frequent intervals has been posing a threat to the region. Also, the competent authorities should take immediate measures to address the grave issue. To avoid any such calamity, the agencies should initially conduct a survey of vulnerable structures.

Following this, they should introduce schemes to tackle the situation during an emergency and also strengthen the foundation of the skyscrapers to an extent that it can withstand the tremors," said an expert.

"Another menace is rampant construction in the restricted zones especially river-beds which are quake-prone. The authorities should not only stop construction on such sites but also demolish the existing structures. This is because such constructions weaken the soil," said Akash Vashistha, an expert.

Akash rued the absence of an expert group with dedicated members to handle such calamities in and around Delhi.

"There are departments to tackle such situations but they are incompetent. The personnel deputed at these departments have engineering degrees while they should have expertise in tackling earthquakes," he added.

A resident of Noida Extension said, "We were going to sleep when the quake hit the city. As soon as we felt the tremors, we rushed out of the flat. Surprisingly, there was no emergency alarm ringing during the earthquake which showcases the lack of safety measures in our buildings. As the tower is 15-storey, occupants especially senior citizens found it difficult to climb the stairs. For now, we are being forced to stay in open as the local administration is yet to make any arrangements."

Geologically, Delhi and its suburbs including Ghaziabad and Noida together form a part of the Indo-Gangetic alluvium, which is filled with silt, sand, and loam. Disaster management experts said that upward areas along Yamuna and Hindon rivers are more vulnerable in case of an earthquake. "Gurugram too has thousands of unsafe buildings as their maps are yet to receive approvals from concerned authorities.