Tremors In Western Odisha, 50% Of State Under Seismic Fault Zone

Bhubaneswar: Mild tremors were felt in several parts of Western Odisha at around 5.48 pm on Wednesday, sources in Bhubaneswar Regional Meteorological Centre said.

The tremors were reportedly felt in Sambalpur, Kuchinda, Bonai, Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Rourkela.

More than 50 per cent of the area in Odisha is under the seismic fault zone.

According to a Geological Survey of India (GSI) survey, 17 districts, including 43 urban localities and several villages, with a population of about 80 lakh are under seismic zone-2 and 3.

Among the 43 urban localities, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Talcher, Balasore, Dhenkanal and Paradip and the adjoining villages are under the seismic zone.

Seismic experts have said that the Mahanadi and Brahmani delta areas fall under zone-3, which is classified as a moderate damage risk zone due to constant friction between tectonic plates.

Before 2000, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority had provision for approval of buildings not exceeding a height of 33m. However, acting on the GSI report, it changed the rules of the provision in 2001, limiting the height of high-rises to 27m. Though it changed the rules in 2013 without setting any limits for the height of these high-rise buildings, it had made a provision in which it asked owners/builders to construct the buildings to a height of 30 metres and above on the basis of the structural design prepared by the State Resource Centre or any government technical institution to protect the buildings in the event of an earthquake.

The earthquake vulnerability area in India has been divided into four zones. While zone-2 is classified as low-damage risk zone, zone-3 is moderate damage risk zone, zone–4 is high damage risk zone and zone-5 is very high damage risk zone.