9-Apr-2021: Non-uniformity of Himalayas foresees significantly large earthquake events
Scientists have found that the Himalayas are not uniform and assume different physical and mechanical properties in different directions – a property present in crystals called anisotropy which could result in significantly large earthquake events in the Himalayas.
The NW region of India, an area covering Garhwal and Himachal Pradesh, has been hit by four destructive moderate to great earthquakes since the beginning of the 20th century -- the Kangra earthquake of 1905, the Kinnaur earthquake of 1975, the Uttarkashi earthquake of 1991, and the Chamoli earthquake of 1999. These seismic activities manifest large-scale subsurface deformation and weak zones, underlining the need for deeper insights into the ongoing deformation beneath these tectonically unstable zones.
Researchers from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, & Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP), namely Dr. Sushil Kumar, Scientist 'G', WIHG; Shubhasmita Biswal, Researcher, WIHG & IIT KGP; William Mohanty, Professor, IIT KGP, and Mahesh Prasad Parija, Ex-Researcher, WIHG used the data from WIHG to show that The North-West Himalayan region exhibits a peculiar characteristic present in crystals.
The joint study using seismic waves from 167 earthquakes recorded by 20 broadband seismic stations deployed in the Western Himalaya suggested that the major contribution of the anisotropy is mainly because the strain induced by the Indo-Eurasia collision (going on since 50 million years) and deformation due to the collision is found to be larger in the crust than in the upper mantle. It has been recently published in 2020 in the Journal ‘Lithosphere (GSA)’.
The inhomogeneity along the Himalayas influences the stressing rate is because of variation in the geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) system, and it controls the rupture size during the earthquake. This lack of homogenous physical and mechanical properties of the Himalayas could help explore new perspectives about deformations taking place at the Himalaya-Tibet crustal belt involved in the formation of the Himalayan Mountains.
22-Feb-2021: Union Home Secretary reviews status of artificial lake formed in wake of avalanche incident in Chamoli district on February 7
The Union Home Secretary chaired another meeting today to review the status of the artificial lake which has formed in the wake of the avalanche incident in the upper catchment of the Rishiganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand.
Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand who joined the meeting through Video Conference along with his team, informed that based on the physical assessment of the artificial lake made on site by multiple scientific agencies and satellite data, there is no imminent danger as the volume of water is less than expected and is flowing through a natural channel which has been widened. The Union Home Secretary reviewed the action being taken to allow for more flow to the water and removal of some obstructions which have formed at the site of the artificial lake. Secretary DRDO and the State administration have been asked to keep a continued watch on the situation in coordination with Central and State agencies. The Union Home Secretary also assured continued help and assistance from Central agencies to the State Government as and when required by them to handle the situation arising out of the temporary obstruction.
The meeting was also attended by DG ITBP, Member Secretary of NDMA, DG NDRF, Chairman DRDO, senior officials of the Ministry of Power, Officers from the IDS Headquarters, and scientists from various Central agencies along with other senior officers of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
29-Dec-2020: Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurates Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh via video conferencing
The Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Science & Technology and Health& Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh(Ladakh)via video conferencing at an event today in Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi. Guest of Honour, Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh and Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP Ladakh also joined the event virtually. Dr. M Rajeevan, Secretary, MoES; Dr. Vipin Chandra, JS MoES; Dr. M. Mohapatra, DG IMD; Shri Gopal Iyengar, Scientist- F, MoES and other officials were also present on the occasion.
At the outset, the Union Minister thanked the administration of Ladakh for extending full support and their active cooperation in establishing the Met Centre facility at Leh. Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh and Shri Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP Ladakh also expressed their gratitude to the government for setting up of the Met Centre at Leh.
Elaborating on the need for a Met Centre at Leh, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the Ladakh region has lofty mountains with high slopes and no vegetation and lot of loose soil and debris making the region vulnerable to various kinds of natural hazards like Cloud burst (of 2010), Flash Floods, Avalanches and Glacial Lake Outbursts, etc. To avert losses due to such weather events in future, the Government felt the need to establish a State of the Art Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh in 2020 to strengthen weather related Early Warning System in Ladakh. Located at a height of 3500m, Meteorological Centre Leh is creating history, as it will be the highest meteorological centre in India, he added.
He also said that to help the administration and the people of Ladakh, IMD will provide a range of weather forecast services, ranging from short (3 days) and medium (12 days) to extended (1 month) period to all the stake holders on a daily basis for both the districts (Leh and Kargil).“Apart from district level forecast, IMD will provide forecast for important tourist places like Nubra, Changthang, Pangong Lake, Zanskar, Kargil, Drass, Dha-Baima(Aryan valley), Khalsi, etc. Some of the important services to be made available are Highway Forecast, Forecast for Mountaineering, Trekking, agriculture, flash flood warning, low and high temperatures among others”, Dr Harshvardhan explained.
Dr Harsh Vardhan assured that the Government will make every effort to provide the best possible weather services to the administration and the people of Ladakh and make Ladakh safe and secure from the vagaries of weather. “The Met Center will be a world class facility for high altitude meteorology and will cater to the various kinds of weather and climate needs of the people and the administration of Ladakh”, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.
Speaking about the achievements of MoES, the Minister outlined that MoES in particular IMD is ranked among the best in the world. It is among the best on many fronts such as early Tsunami Warning and accurate weather forecast. Weather forecast through text message is provided to over 40 million farmers, helping them in planning their farming activities, he added.
Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh emphasised upon the need for micro-climatic forecasting keeping in view the climatic variety of the Ladakh region. He highlighted the importance of localised weather information and the need to create a Weather App for all stakeholders.
Dr. M Rajeevan Secretary, MoES said Ladakh region is dear to us in many ways, be its unique topography, culture, food, climate or strategic importance for national security. He assured that Ministry of Earth Sciences will extend all technical as well as administrative support to IMD.