A powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday, September 11, struck Pakistan. The tremors from this seismic event reached as far as New Delhi, India, where residents took to social media to share images of swaying fans and shifting wall hangings.
The earthquake originated at a depth of 10 kilometers, about 130 kilometers south of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan. Thankfully, there have been no reports of damage or casualties in Pakistan, Afghanistan, or India.
This earthquake marks the second instance of mild tremors affecting Delhi in the past two weeks. A similar 5.7 magnitude earthquake had previously occurred on August 29, originating 255 kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface in Afghanistan.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has pointed out that Delhi’s settlement patterns have not been adequately assessed for seismic risk. Their assessments indicate that a major earthquake could cause severe damage and significant casualties due to high-rise buildings and poorly designed high-risk areas that lack earthquake resistance. Additionally, unplanned settlements with substandard structures are vulnerable to even moderate shaking.
The DDMA has noted a shortage of earthquake experts in India, emphasizing the need for comprehensive institutional and manpower development. They recommend extensive studies for seismic hazard evaluations and vulnerability assessments in various parts of Delhi to better understand and mitigate seismic risks.
Delhi is situated in a high seismic zone (zone four), and the DDMA has stressed that disaster preparedness must be approached from multiple angles. This includes technical training, institutional development, creating technical manuals, implementing legal and enforcement measures, and increasing public awareness.
The DDMA concluded that the biggest challenge is securing political will to address these issues, particularly when the city faces numerous other pressing problems. Experts have consistently warned that while recent tremors have been relatively distant from Delhi, a nearby earthquake with a magnitude of six or higher could have catastrophic consequences.
