GAYA | Apr 27, 2015: The recent earthquakes and tremors have once again brought into focus the need to revisit localized tremors with Gaya as epicentre. As per MET department records, besides being shaken by the tremors and quakes having its epicentre in the Himalayan range, the area has witnessed at least three tremors with Gaya as its epicentre.
The first Gaya centric tremor were recorded on 17 February 1985 with an intensity of 4.7 on the Richter scale. In May-June 2008, three Gaya centric tremors were felt on 30 May, 7 and 9 June that year. While the 30 May 2008 tremor could not be recorded on the Richter scale as the instruments were incapable of recording tremors of less than 3.3 intensity, people of Gaya, nevertheless, felt it. The intensity of the 07 June, 2008 tremor was 4.7 and for the 09 June tremor, it was 3.3.
Despite low intensity, 2008 tremors caused some damage which affected the official residence of the Gaya DM. Sanjay Kumar Singh, the then DM had a close shave as a peel of thick ceiling plaster fell on his bed while the DM was asleep.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar requisitioned the services of AK Shukla, the then director, Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre of the IMD to ascertain the cause of the localised tremors. Shukla conducted a two week long study but the real cause could not be ascertained.
According to Ranjit Verma, Pro V-C Patna University and a Gaya-resident interested in local Environmental issues, there was a need to revisit the local tremors to ascertain their real cause since without that one can neither prepare an effective strategy nor be in a position to take curative measures.
RK Verma felt that in any future study on Gaya centric tremors, indiscriminate sand mining and stone quarrying aspect has to be included. Though mechanised sand mining and stone quarrying is bound to cause Ecological imbalance, it is not known if these factors too can cause local tremors, said Verma.
Asked about the geological impact of mechanised sand mining and stone quarrying, DM Sanjay Agrawal said that a direct cause-effect relationship between local tremors and these activities can not be established. But the need to regulate sand mining and stone quarrying activities in the district has always been felt and that will be done, said Agrawal.
In view of the localised tremors of the past, the need to set up an observatory in Gaya for recording seismic movement is also being strongly felt. The nearest such observatories to record seismic movements are located at Varanasi and Bokaro and both these places are more than 200km away from Gaya.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)