Talcher & Adjoining Areas In Odisha Fall Under Earthquake Zone-3: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Amid rising concern over devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria where nearly 50,000 people died, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick on Thursday told the Odisha Assembly that Talcher and its adjoining areas fall under the ‘Moderate Damage Risk’ zone.

Quoting the ‘Earthquake Hazard Zoning Atlas of India released by Government of India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) in 2006, the minister said that Talcher Block and its adjoining areas in Angul district of Odisha come under the Zone-III category, which is moderate damage risk zone.

Replying to a query asked by Rengali MLA Nauri Nayak, she further said that adequate training has been imparted to the ODRAF personnel on collapse structure, and search and rescue operations. “Equipment for carrying out the search and rescue operations have also been provided and advisory has been issued for the construction of earthquake-resistant houses in various zones,” she added.