CHANCHAL GOLA | Ramnagar
An earthquake alert system will soon be operational in Ramnagar, where sirens will go off as soon as seismic activity is detected, allowing residents some moments to respond to the tremor. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority has finalised land within the Tehsil premises for establishing a seismic observatory in Nainital district’s Ramnagar with construction work set to begin shortly.
According to the National Centre for Seismology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, eight seismic observatories will be established across Uttarakhand. These will be in Haridwar, Tehri, Chamoli, Nainital, Bageshwar, Almora, Rudraprayag, and Dehradun districts. Ramnagar sub divisional magistrate Pramod Kumar informed that, apart from the seismic observatory, a rain gauge has also been installed in the Tehsil premises. Along with Ramnagar, seismic observatories are also being set up in Roorkee, Devprayag, Karnprayag, Bageshwar, Almora, Kedarnath and Chakrata.
A seismic observatory monitors earthquakes and related seismic activities, measuring their time, location and magnitude. It also detects seismic waves and triggers a siren to warn people. Additionally, such observatories help in studying the Earth’s internal structure, active seismic zones and even monitoring nuclear tests.
On February 10, 2020, a team of geologists led by Prof. Javed Malik from IIT Kanpur had surveyed the Nandpur Gaibua area near Ramnagar using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), GPS, and satellite technology. Their research revealed that a powerful earthquake measuring between 7 and 8 magnitude had struck the region in 1505.
Experts believe that areas hit by such high-intensity quakes often experience another major earthquake every 500–600 years. Findings also confirmed that Ramnagar lies on a fault line, making it highly vulnerable. If a major earthquake were to strike now, the Terai region could face devastating consequences.
