Earthquake Risk Mitigation

Earthquake Risk Mitigation Understanding Disaster Risk

• Rapidly assess earthquake parameters immediately after

detection.

• Communicate and disseminate relevant information efficiently.

• Provide data on undersea earthquakes capable of triggering tsunamis in Indian coastal areas to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) for issuing tsunami alerts and warnings.

• Share seismic activity data with national and international scientific, academic, and research institutions.

• Conduct Earthquake Hazard and Risk Assessment (EHRA):

• Seismic Hazard Evaluation

• Seismic Zoning Classification

• Seismic Microzoning Studies

• Analyze vulnerability considering social, economic, ecological, gender, and equity aspects.

Inter-Agency Coordination

Inter-agency coordination is a key component of strengthening disaster risk governance. It is required among both central and state agencies in the field of Overall disaster governance, Response, Warnings, Information and data sharing and Non- structural measures.

Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction –Structural Measures

• Ensure the integration of earthquake-resistant features

in the planning and execution of social housing projects.

• Enforce adherence to applicable building codes and regulations.

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Implement strengthening measures and seismic retrofitting based on safety audit recommendations across all government departments, agencies, public utilities, educational institutions, and community halls.

• Collaborate with technical organizations for effective implementation.

Investing in DRR–Non-Structural Measures

• Establish appropriate bylaws for both rural and urban areas, implement model codes, and ensure strict adherence.

• Enforce rigorous compliance with building codes through relevant departments and agencies.

• Conduct safety audits for essential buildings and critical infrastructure.

• Ensure proper implementation, monitoring, enforcement, and compliance at the state level by public institutions, private entities, and individuals.

• Introduce a legal framework and institutional mechanism for licensing engineers.

• Encourage private sector involvement in disaster management initiatives.

Capacity Development

• Support national initiatives to develop a sufficient workforce trained in seismic safety across India.

• Provide training in search and rescue operations.

• Integrate disaster management aspects into undergraduate and professional education programs.

• Awareness Initiatives:

• Conduct mass media campaigns.

• Foster a culture of disaster risk prevention, mitigation, and effective risk management.

• Encourage behavioral and attitudinal changes through awareness programs and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiatives.

• Promote the adoption of insurance and risk transfer mechanisms.

• Support the use of community radio for disaster awareness.

• Strengthen the network of civil society organizations to enhance awareness about Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Disaster Management (DM).

• Provide information on the care and protection of animals affected by disasters.

• Collaborate on the planning and execution of emergency drills.

• Disseminate disaster-related documentation in local languages to improve accessibility.

• Integrate gender-sensitive and equitable strategies into capacity-building efforts at the state, district, and local levels for comprehensive disaster management.

• Community-Based Disaster Management:

• Enhance community resilience and preparedness through a multi-hazard approach.

• Conduct training programs for panchayats, Self- Help Groups (SHGs), National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), youth groups, and local community organizations to improve disaster

response capabilities.

Steps Taken for Earthquake Mitigation

• National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project (NERMP): Lowering the degree of vulnerability in high-risk areas. In areas with strong seismic activity, necessary risk reduction measures are put in place.

• National Building Code (NBC) for India’s Earthquake preparedness: The National Building Code of India 2005 replaces the earlier codes.

Meeting the problems presented by natural disasters and adopting current, applicable international best practices are the key characteristics.

• Building Materials & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC): Carries out initiatives for life-line structure retrofitting to raise awareness among the public and various governmental organisations.

• Ministry of Panchayati Raj used Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) for rural development in earthquake prone areas.

• National Retrofit Program for India’s Earthquake Preparedness 2014: The NDMA released guidelines on “seismic retrofitting” along with specialists from several IITs and the necessary ministries.

• The RBI Guidelines refuse loans to any construction that does not adhere to the regulations for earthquake- resistant structures.

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The government launched two Mobile apps for India’s Earthquake preparedness

• ‘India Quake’– The mobile app, which was created by the National Center for Seismology, disseminates information about earthquakes in real-time.

• ‘Sagar Vani’-The smartphone app, designed to assist coastal communities, promptly notifies the user community of ocean-related information and alerts (such as high waves and Tsunami early warnings) for their protection.

• SACHET initiative of NDMA under Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Project with C-DoT.