Agencies
GUWAHATI, MAY 17
With the horrors of the Nepal quake fresh in the minds of the people here, experts warned that areas along the India-Myanmar border frequently experience earthquake of magnitude five on the Richter Scale and that a high-magnitude temblor can strike the region any time."Earthquakes of magnitude five on the Richter Scale occur along the India-Myanmar border once in every three or four months. After the 1950 temblor, there has been no high-magnitude earthquake in the region. It can happen anytime," said Chandan Ghosh, head of the geo-hazards division of National Institute of Disaster Management.
The 1950 earthquake, of magnitude 8.7, was the last devastating quake that rocked the state. Though an earthquake of magnitude 8 has not hit the region since 1950, the gap could be the gestation period for a big quake in future, experts feel.
The northeast had a brush with a 7.4 earthquake in 1954 and a 7.2 magnitude in 1988 along the India-Myanmar border. Ghosh said, given the rise in construction in the region, an earthquake of magnitude 7 could cause huge devastation. He said it is time the region promoted earthquake-resistant structures using modern technology. "Technology is available for building construction that can withstand high-magnitude quakes. These are not that costly and can save a lot of lives," Ghosh added. The state governments should promote construction of earthquake-resistant buildings and conduct training programmes on disaster management, he said.
Some of the major earthquakes the region experienced before 1950 include a 7.6 quake on July 29, 1949, a 7.5 one on July 7, 1947, and a 7.2 one on October 23, 1943. The northeast is located in the highly seismic Zone V. The seismic microzonation study of Guwahati in 2008 said the maximum number of 'severe quakes' (seven to eight in magnitude) is observed in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, central and lower Brahmaputra valley and south-eastern Manipur.
The Brahmaputra valley, northern Manipur, eastern Nagaland and east-central Mizoram are prone to earthquakes of magnitude ranging from six to seven, while quakes with magnitude of over five are seen in the northern part of Arunachal, some parts of lower Brahmaputra valley, central Manipur and west Tripura.
