Moderate earthquake rocks State

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, DEC. 12. An earthquake of moderate intensity rocked Idukki, Kottayam and nearby districts this morning. Widespread damage to houses and other buildings occurred in the two districts. Much of these are in the form of cracks on walls.

Mild tremors were felt in Thiruvananthapuram and several districts north and south of Kottayam at 6.54 a.m. Reports from Tamil Nadu said the shock was experienced in districts adjoining Idukki. Tremors were felt in Kozhikode district as well.

The Weather Bureau here reported that the shock was of the magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter Scale, the highest to be recorded in Kerala. However, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), which is maintaining a network of seismographs, is not corroborating this.

The epicentre was south of Painavu in Idukki district. After- shocks were experienced in Idukki and Kottayam districts later in the morning and afternoon. However, the Weather Bureau said they have not recorded these. The origin of the first quake was 133 km away from Thiruvananthapuram with its epicentre at 9.7 degrees north latitude and 77.0 degrees east longitude.

The quakes, which were experienced for nearly a minute, frightened people in Idukki and Kottayam districts. In many places, people ran out of their houses. Cracks occurred on the walls of many buildings in these districts and some structures even collapsed. Window panes broke and loud noises were heard at some places.

The KSEB is examining the condition of its dams in Idukki district. However, officials said there was no threat to the Idukki dam as it was designed to withstand earthquakes of higher intensity. However, that was not the case with the Mullaperiyar dam.

The magnitude reported by the Board's station at Kulamavu is 3.35. This had been informally conveyed to the Idukki district authorities. However, some of the Board's equipment are not state-of-the-art. The maintenance also is poor. Many of the sensors and meters embedded in the dams of the Board to evaluate the condition of the dams are not functioning well.

Dr. Kusala Rajendran, scientists at the Centre for Earth Science Studies here, said there was little reason to disbelieve the magnitude of 5 released by the Indian Meteorological Department as they had good digital records. Besides, the tremors would not have been felt in Thiruvananthapuram if it was lower than 3.5. However, the calculation of the magnitude was preliminary. The focus of the tremor was four-to-five km below the surface.

She said the quake could not be reservoir-induced. According to current knowledge, reservoir-induced earthquakes should come down gradually in magnitude as the earth under the reservoir settles down. It was now nearly 30 years after water had been impounded at the Idukki reservoir. However, the magnitude of the quakes was found to be increasing. The last major earthquake reported from the Nedumkandam area in the district was of the magnitude of 4.5.

Meanwhile, an official release urged people to be vigilant as there were chances of after-shocks at a lower magnitude. The Government had asked the Director General of Police, Fire Force and the Health Department to take precautionary measures.

The release said that no loss of life or major loss of property had been reported.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : J.H. Patel: A Socialist who drifted away from its
           ideals
Next     : 18 crocodiles die in captivity