EARTHQUAKE IN AFGHANISTAN
A devastating 6.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the southeast province of Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on the night of 21st June 2022 that left more than 1000 people dead and 1500 injured with 10,000 homes shattered. The earthquake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost and tremors were felt as far away as Pakistan and India under its impact. The quake was very destructive relative to its magnitude, due to its shallow hypocentre underneath a densely populated area prone to landslides, in which low-quality buildings made of wood and mud are not earthquake resistant. Seismic events of this kind can cause enormous devastation in a country like Afghanistan ravaged by poverty and sanctions where infrastructure is weak and people live in remote mountainous villages that are difficult for emergency rescuers to reach. The country has been an active geological region since time. More than 7,000 people in Afghanistan have been killed by earthquakes in the past decade alone , averaging 560 deaths a year!
Around 5 lakh quakes occur every year around the globe out of which 1 lakh quakes are actually felt. Around 100 quakes are strong enough to wreak havoc. The deadliest quake from an intensity point of view occurred in Chile in 1960 measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale and killing nearly 6000 people. The most devastating quake in India happened on 15 January 1934 in Bihar with an intensity of 8.1 that killed around 30,000 people. The earthquake that shook North America in 1811 was so powerful that the river Mississippi started flowing backward. The most dangerous landslide event triggered due to an earthquake to have ever happened was in China in 1920 which killed around 2 lakh people. A powerful quake struck Peru in 1970 that triggered a deadly avalanche that moved at an alarming pace of 400 km/hr killing 18,000 people. An undersea earthquake off the coast of Indonesia on 26 December 2004 triggered violent tsunami waves in the Indian Ocean that killed nearly 2.30 lakh people bordering the region and lasted for nearly 10 minutes, the highest duration in history to have been recorded ever.
Before sailing further, it will be worthwhile to understand the intensity of an earthquake in terms of the Richter scale. While intensities below 5 in this scale could cause little damage to the window sills and furniture, intensities from 5 to 7 could lead to the collapse of houses beyond which bridges and other heavy structures yield leading to complete destruction.
Earthquakes happen when there is sudden movement along the tectonic plates which make up the Earth's surface. Fractures called Fault lines occur where the plates collide. Around 4 crores years ago, the Indian subcontinent plate collided with the Eurasian plate creating the Himalayan mountain range. The collision is continuing even today and, as a result, the mountain is rising by nearly 1 cm every year.
Afghanistan is very prone to earthquakes because of its geography. It is located on top of a number of fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet. The regions Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh lie in and around the Hindu Kush zone , one of the most earthquake-prone areas on Earth after the Ring of Fire in the Pacific. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has termed the Hindu Kush region “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on earth”, boasting one of the highest rates of deep earthquakes in the world. Slow collisions between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian tectonic plates are thought to be the prime cause of the extremely common earthquakes in this region. One of the most violent earthquakes in the region (magnitude 7.6) happened in October 2005, which resulted in 87,000 deaths and millions of people displaced. After that, the April 2015 tremblers (magnitude 7.8-8.1) jolted Nepal that triggered an avalanche leading to nearly 9000 deaths.
While almost all Himalayan states are at constant risk, the maximum risk areas for high-intensity earthquakes are classified as Zone-V in India. The whole northeastern region of India, as well as portions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, North Bihar, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, are included in the zone. Hence people living in this region of our country should always remain alert as the catastrophe can happen anytime.
On average, one 8 Magnitude quake strikes somewhere every year around the globe and some 10,000 people die in earthquake events annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives; but the destruction is often compounded by other disasters: mudslides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblor after-shocks that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate relief and rescue operations and cause further death and destruction. Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, sensitization measures and by adopting earthquake-prone construction design of houses. A building should be designed in such a manner that it sways like a single structure rather than caving in under the stress of the tremor.
Unfortunately, like other natural calamities like floods and cyclones, the occurrence of earthquakes cannot be predicted and, hence, an early warning cannot be issued. The only clue to foretell its occurrence is to observe the anomalies in the behaviour of certain animals which the Chinese have greatly improved over the years. Certain animals like elephants are said to be capable of hearing the low-pitched rumbling sound of the lithosphere plates motion and migrate to safer places to avoid imminent danger. But this method of relying on the animals behavior is not proving very accurate. Under this limitation of the present-day technology in forecasting the earthquake, the only option that remains at hand is the greater human preparedness and efficient relief and rescue operation to mitigate its impact by minimizing the loss of life and property.
Nikunja Bihari Sahu
Education Officer
Regional Science Centre
Bhopal
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