Centre to set up micro-seismic observation systems at Joshimath

The Centre on Tuesday announced that it will install micro seismic observation systems at Joshimaththe gradually sinking Himalayan town in UttarakhandEarth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh made the announcement at the IndiaUK Workshop of Geosciences here and said the observation systems will be in place by WednesdayAddressing the workshop he said there was a critical need for fundamental research on the physical processes that lead to failure of the brittle layers beneath the crust and subcrustThe minister noted that human consequences of natural disasters in India were rising rapidly and stressed on the need to devise proper mitigation strategiesSingh said the Ministry of Earth Sciences had established 37 new seismological centres in the last two years for extensive observation facilities generating a huge database for outcomeoriented analyticsHe said in the next five years 100 more such seismological centres will be opened across the country for improving real time data monitoring and data collectionOfficials said seismic microzonation study for the area would generate risk resilient parameters for safer dwellings and infrastructureThey said Joshimath falls under the highest seismic hazard Zone V as it experiences continuous seismogenic stressesAlso read After Joshimath cracks appear in houses in Uttarakhands Karnprayag people seek govt helpSeismic energy generation due to microearthquakes may have weakened the strength of the rocks as Joshimath is located in the earthquake rupture zone of the 1999 Chamoli earthquake they saidClimatic factors such as excessive precipitation and flow of water from mountains into massive cracks and fractures in the subsurface rocks lead to widening of cracks and hastening the slip in rock material the officials saidAddressing the workshop Singh said scientific understanding of the processes behind disasters has grown immensely over the past 50 years and there is a need for strengthening further international collaborations like the IndoUK initiative to fight such disastersHe also added that scientific understanding of the processes behind disasters has grown immensely over the past 50 years and there was a need for strengthening further international collaborations like the IndoUK initiative to fight such disasters in futureThe twoday workshop was attended by British High Commissioner Alex Ellis Wendy Matcham Head Natural Environment Research Council NERC UK Research and Innovation UKRI O P Mishra Director National Centre for Seismology and Sukanya Kumar Acting Director UK Research and Innovation IndiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever