MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN INDO-PAK REGION

Earth quicks in Pakistan

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has faced a lot in its 64 year life, both in terms of man-made as well as natural disasters. Pakistan faces a severe threat from natural disaster but which disaster is the worst for Pakistan? Well, its earthquake. History has shown us that Pakistan is indeed situated near highly active fault line that could put risk to more than 170 million people living in the country. What are the precautions needed to avoid earthquake?

Precautions for Earthquake

Earthquake is an unexpected event which cannot be predicted in advance. Hence, the only way to save yourself, is with adequate preventive measures. Here is an earthquake safety checklist that will help you in your preparation work in this regard:

• The first step of earthquake safety precautions is to be sure that the building in which you are living, meets the earthquake construction requirements.
• Arrange all the cupboards of your house in such an order that the heavy items are stored in the lower racks. Thus you can ensure that those heavy items will not be thrown off like projectiles at the time of an earthquake.
• Secure the cupboard doors with latches, so that they do not open during an earthquake and prevent things kept inside them from falling off.
• Objects in your house like refrigerator, bookcases, air conditioners should be fastened to the wall properly, so that they can withstand maximum tremors.
• Keep hanging objects like lamps, mirrors, picture frames, hanging plants away from beds. Also make sure they are anchored properly, to prevent their fall.
• Fire may erupt inside the house after an earthquake. Hence, the fire extinguishers on each floor of the building should be strategically located, so that one can easily access them as and when they are required.
• Always keep an earthquake survival kit ready with you.
• At least one member of the family should have good knowledge of first aid measures which will help if someone gets a bad injury. This is important because the medical emergency services often gets overloaded after this kind of natural disaster. Even many of the medical equipment may not be in working condition after the incident.
• One of the most vital aspect is earthquake safety for kids. For this, you have to train them about the do’s and don’ts during an earthquake. Talk to them about how it feels when earthquake happens so that they can recognize it early. Teach them how they can seek protection by going under a desk or a table. Lets take a look at the earthquake activity in Pakistan!

Pakistan: A home to Earthquake!

Earthquake prone areas in Pakistan

Earthquake activity in Pakistan is mainly concentrated in the north and western sections of the country, along the boundary of the Indian plate and the Iranian and Afghan micro-plates. The Chaman Fault runs along Pakistan’s western frontier with Afghanistan from Kalat, in the northern Makran range, past Quetta and then on to Kabul, Afghanistan. A fault also runs along the Makran coast and is believed to be of the same nature as the West Coast fault along the coast of Maharashtra, India. An active subduction zone exists off the Makran coast.

This zone forms the boundary between the Arabian and the Iranian micro-plate, where the former subducts or dives beneath the latter. Thrust zones run along the Kirthar, Sulaiman and Salt ranges. There are four faults in and around Karachi and other parts of deltaic Indus, and Makran coast. The first is the Allah Bund fault that passes through Shahbundar, Jah, Pakistan Steel Mills, and runs through eastern parts of the city and ends near Cape Monz. This fault, in fact, has caused extensive damage in the past many centuries in the deltaic areas. The destruction of Bhanbhor in the 13th century and damage to Shahbundar in 1896 were caused by this fault. The other one emanates from the Rann of Kutchh. The third one is the Pubb fault which ends into Arabian sea near Makran coast and the last one is located in the lower Dadu district near Surajani and falls in the vicinity of Karachi. Tsunamis or tidal waves have also affected the coast of Pakistan. The worst case was in 1945 when an earthquake of magnitude 8 struck the Makran coast, waves as high as 12 meters were reported.

Historic Earthquakes in Pakistan

From the year 893 A.D till 1929, a total of 11 earthquakes have rocked the modern-day Pakistan. Following is a chart that shows the list of historic earthquakes in Pakistan since 893;

Earthquakes in Pakistan Earthquakes are the deadliest disaster in Pakistan
Number of Historic Earthquakes
Year	Magnitude	Deaths	Areas affected
893	8	150,000	Shah Bandar (coastal Sindh)
May 2, 1668	7.6	50,000	Shah Bandar (coastal Sindh)
June 16, 1819	7.5	3,200	Allah bund (Sindh-Gujarat border)
September 24, 1827	7.8	1,000	Lahore, Punjab
January 24, 1857	8	–	Kahan, Baluchistan
January 22, 1865	6	–	Peshawar, Khyber
1883	–	–	Jhalawan, Baluchistan
1889	8	–	Jhalawan, Baluchistan
December 20, 1892	6.8	–	Qilla Abduallah, Baluchistan
October 21, 1909	7	100	Sibbi, Baluchistan
February 1, 1929	7.1	–	Baluchistan

Almost all earthquake have occurred in Baluchistan province but due to less population in the province and lack of construction, Baluchistan has remained fairly safe from these earthquakes, not to mention that Baluchistan is the most earthquake-prone region in the country. Apart from the Baluchistan quakes, a total of 3 earthquakes have jolted the Sindh province with 2 reported from Sindh coastal area while another hit Gujarat-Sindh border. It is also worth mentioning that none of these earthquakes have been documented except for the 1819 earthquake in Sindh-Gujarat border. 

Allah bund Earthquake 1819

It occurred on June 16, 1819, an eye-witness account by the British officers, informing that 7,000 buildings were demolished, 1,150 person were buried alive in the ruins. A shallow stream about 7,000 feet (2133 metres) wide was formed and Rann which was previously disconnected with sea was filled with sea water spreading to large area.  Sindri fort 15 feet high above water   level,  and  a Talpur border check-post (now in India),  was submerged nearly totally and custom officers on the fort wall were rescued by a British ship. Total displacement of Allah Bund was 30 feet uplift and 10 feet depression due to vertical slipping at the fault plains. The earthquake is reported to have disbursed normal drainage pattern of Rann of Kutch and river Indus and the Indus river branches to the sea changed their course as can be seen from coastal maps of 1817 and 1830 AD.

Due to 1819 earthquake Shah Bunder port was abandoned and two new creeks namely Kukaiwari and Kadewari came in to existence between 1819 and 1837. Overall the earthquake killed some 3,200 people.

Modern day Earthquakes in Pakistan

From the year 1931 till 2011, Pakistan has seen many major earthquake including a tsunami in 1945, two years before independence.  Following is a chart that shows the list of historic earthquakes in Pakistan since 1931 till 2011;

Earthquakes in Pakistan Earthquakes are the deadliest disaster in Pakistan
Number of Modern Earthquakes
Year	Magnitude	Deaths	Areas affected
August 24, 1931	7	–	Sharighvalley, Balochistan
August 27, 1931	7.4	–	Mach,Balochistan province
May 31, 1935	7.7	60,000	Districts of Balochistan
November 27, 1945	7.9 or 8 (tsunami)	4,000	Makran-Sindh coastal area
December 28, 1974	6.2	5,300	Districts of the Khyber province
October 8, 2005	7.8	80,000	Parts of Khyber and Azad Kashmir
October 29, 2008	6.4	216	Quetta, Balochistan
January 18, 2011	7.2	2	Balochistan

Coastal area of Sindh is in active seismic zone. There is geological fault from Ahmedabad and Bhuj  and Ormara along Makran coast and another geological fault from  Ormara  to Gulistan about 80  kms west of Quetta to Jalalabad and then turning eastwards  under Himalayan foot hills through Kohistan towards Haryana in India and beyond, it is called Karakoram fault.  Another one is located Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan and Swat district. The 2005 earthquake was more intensive than 1974 earthquake, which had created havoc in Pattan, Duba, Palas and other villages.

The first causes earthquakes along the northern Gujarat, Kutch, Rann of Kutch and affects Sindh coast and Karachi. In 1945 earthquake with epicentre in Makran between Pasni and Gawadar, Karachi also got shocks and some islands along Baluchistan coast disappeared and new ones emerged.  The 2003 earthquake destroyed many houses in Ahmedabad, destroyed almost the whole town of Bhuj and affected coastal area of Sindh including damage to some buildings in Nagar Parker, Islamkot, Mithi, Diplo and Badin  and bridges on roads south of Badin.

1935 Balochistan Earthquake

Camps can be seen during the post-1935 earthquake

At 3:02 am PST at Quetta, a powerful earthquake rocked the city and surrounding areas. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 people died from the impact. This ranks as one of the deadliest earthquakes that hit South Asia. The natural disaster ranks as the 23rd most deadly earthquake worldwide to date. In the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the experts cited the earthquake as being amongst the four deadliest earthquakes the South Asian region has seen; the others being the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, Pasni earthquake in 1945 and Kangra earthquake in 1905.

This earthquake is the worst natural disaster in Pre-Pakistan era. 

1945 “Would-be-Pakistan” tsunami

1945 tsunami left a widespread destruction

On 28 November 1945 at 1:56 am (local time), a massive earthquake, off Pakistan’s Makran Coast generated a destructive tsunami in the Northern Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Its epicenter was at 24.5 N 63.0 E., in the northern Arabian Sea, about 100 km south of Karachi and about 87 km SSW of Churi (Balochistan), Pakistan. The earthquake was of 8.1 magnitude, major quake. A total of 4,000 people were killed.

1974 Hunza Earthquake

Hunza earthquake in 1974

This Earthquake was a magnitude of 6.2 and hit Hunza, Hazara and Swat districts of northern Pakistan on December 28, 1974. The quake had a shallow focal depth and was followed by numerous aftershocks. An official estimate of the number killed was 5,300 with approximately 17,000 injured. A total of 97,000 were reported affected by the tremor. Most of the destruction was centred around the village of Pattan, located about 100 miles north of the capital city of Islamabad. The village was almost completely destroyed. Landslides and rock falls contributed to the damage.

2005 Kashmir Earthquake

View of Islamabad after the 2005 earthquake

A 7.6-Richter scale quake struck the Kashmir region on the India-Pakistan border and parts of northwestern Pakistan on 8 October 2005. According to official figures, at least 73,000 people were killed and more than 3.3 million made homeless. Work even continues today to rebuild the damaged infrastructure.

This earthquake has been blamed for the economic down fall of Pakistan as in 2005 Pakistan’s economy was rising. The country was being considered to be placed on the rising economies of Asian, the credit goes to the Musharraf-led government but the earthquake hit the back bone of Pakistan and eventually and sadly the next year, Pakistan was placed on the failed states of the world at number 9.

2011 Pakistan Earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude of 7.2 rocked south-western Pakistan. The United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake took place on January 19 at 01:23 am PST. The depth of the earthquake was reported to be 84 kilometres. US seismologist, Don Blakeman, said the earthquake depth was revised to be deeper than originally thought – potentially limiting the effects.

Overall the earthquake was felt in India, Iran, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirites. 2 women died due to this earthquake in Pakistan due to heart attack.

From the shores of Arabian sea to the great heights of K-2 : Earthquake threat persist!

Threat from Tsunami will always hanut Karachi

While Karachi lies close to a major fault line, it is situated on or close to four minor faults. The first is called the Allah Bund fault and it passes through the coastal town of Shah Bundar, the area around Pakistan Steel Mills and runs through eastern parts of the city ending near Cape Monz. Another fault lies in the Rann of Kutch near Sindh’s southeastern border with India. The third is called the Pubb fault which lies near the Mekran coast west of the city while a fourth is located in Dadu district on the northern boundary of Karachi. Some scientists say that the geographical location of Karachi is such that a natural curve is formed near the sea-shore, as a result, the possibility for a tsunami generated in Indian Ocean to hit the Karachi site is quite remote. . Karachi is sometimes regarded as safe from earthquake while sometimes it is the opposite.

Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan sits on 5 major fault lines running through the city, all of which are capable of producing large earthquakes.

The officials said that when the 1960’s government had planned to declare Islamabad the federal capital, its seismic zoning was conducted. Geologists had warned the then government that Islamabad was prone to high intensity earthquakes because it was situated in an active earthquake zone. The officials said that it was not advisable to construct high-rise buildings in Islamabad. They said that no building structure higher than two stories should be allowed in the federal capital, as the earth crust in Islamabad could not sustain the weight of high-rise buildings. So Islamabad should be on alert for earthquakes.

Earthquakes in India

It was 26th January, 2001, the republic day of India. Students were going to school for republic day celebration, those who thought republic day as just another holiday were snoring. Leaders all over the country were hoisting the tri-color flag.

As an on-going tradition people were distributing sweets among children, some were seen holding flags, some busy attaching a small flag on their shirts. Some were chatting with their friends for planning and enjoying the rest of the day.

Suddenly, news-struck that an earthquake has taken place in Gujarat.

As time passed by, news was that it is massive and tremendous loss of life and property is taken place. Reportedly 30,000 people died and numerous others got injured. This is the real story of the Gujarat earthquake.

Fifteen years down the line, situation has improved, but the scars remain.

There are more deadly earthquakes that India has witnessed. Here is the list of ten worst earthquakes that India has seen in its history.

What are the most powerful earthquakes of India?

Sr. No.	Place	Epicenter	Date, Time, and Year	Magnitude	Deaths
1	Indian Ocean	West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia	08:50, December 26, 2004	9.1–9.3	> 283,106
2	Kashmir	Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir	08:50:38, October 8, 2005	7.6	130,000
3	Bihar and Nepal	South of Mount Everest	14 :13, January 15, 1934	8.7	> 30,000
4	Gujarat	Kutch, Gujarat	08:50:00, January 26, 2001	7.7	20,000
5	Kangra	Himalayas	06:10, April 4, 1905	7.8	> 20,000
6	Latur	Killari, Latur	22:25, September 30, 1993	6.4	> 9,748
7	Assam	Rima, Tibet	19:39, August 15, 1950	8.6	1,526
8	Assam	Place name not known	17 :11, June 12, 1897	8.1	1,500
9	Uttarkashi	Garhwal, Uttarakhand	Unknown time, October 20, 1991	6.8	>1,000
10	Koynanagar	Koyna	04:21, December 11, 1967	6.5	180

 Indian Ocean Earthquake, 2004

Date - December 26, 2004
Time - 08:50
Deaths - > 283,106 (Includes deaths in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, and Somalia)
Magnitude - 9.1–9.3
Epicenter - West coast of Sumatra, Indonesia (3.316°N 95.854°E)

Extreme widespread destruction took place on the following day of Christmas. The calamity was so huge that even islands in middle of the Indian Ocean disappeared or were in 3-5 meters deep in water.

The newspapers on the following day was full of gory pictures and mind-numbing loss of human lives with property worth thousands of crores destroyed.

One more thing I remember that newspapers were only reporting about the Tsunami. From the first page till the last page it was only and only about the Tsunami. No Sports, no business news for the following several days.

Kashmir Earthquake, 2005

Date - October 8, 2005
Time - 08:50:38
Deaths - 130,000
Magnitude - 7.6
Epicenter - Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-administered Kashmir (34.45°N 73.65°E)

While the death toll in India was less, the Pakistani side suffered huge loss of life and property. The epicenter of the quake was in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. It's severity could be understood by the thought that even neighboring countries like China, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan felt tremors.

International community came forward in every possible way to help the victims. Relief material flowed in from every part of the world. The Indian Army helped in a big way by clearing the debris and distributing relief material and maintaining medical camps in Pakistan as well as in India.

 Bihar Earthquake, 1934

Date - January 15, 1934
Time - 14 :13
Deaths - > 30,000
Magnitude - 8.7
Epicenter - South of Mount Everest (27.55°N 87.09°E)

Just as the recent one that took place in Pokhara in which both Nepal and India are affected, like it was in 1934 though on a larger scale (8.7 magnitude) with widespread destruction.

As of recent reports the 2015 earthquake is of 7.9 magnitude with more than 1500 people dead in India and Nepal.

Gujarat Earthquake, 2001

Date - January 26, 2001
Time - 08:50:00
Deaths - 20,000
Magnitude - 7.7
Epicenter - Kutch, Gujarat (23.419°N 70.232°E)

The opening paragraph sums up the effects of the Gujarat Earthquake. Normalcy could only be restored after six months of rigorous relief efforts from all sections of society. Help poured in from all over the world but the damage had already been done.

Some losing their life savings, some their life.

 Kangra Earthquake, 1905

Date - April 4, 1905
Time - 06:10
Deaths - > 20,000
Magnitude - 7.8
Epicenter - Himalayas (33.0°N 76.0°E)

Another one of the deadliest quakes that India faced took place in the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh. More than 100,000 homes were destroyed and scores of animals, trees, and the natural vegetation that the region has were completed gutted.

This is the 2nd worst earthquake from the pre-independence era after the Nepal-Bihar earthquake of 1934.

Latur Earthquake, 1993

Date - September 30, 1993
Time - 22:25
Deaths - > 9,748
Magnitude - 6.4
Epicenter - Killari, Latur (18.1°N 76.5°E)

One of the most fatal natural disaster that Maharashtra has ever faced. Though the magnitude recorded was 6.4 but the destruction that it caused was massive.

The most affected areas were of Latur and Osmanabad. Invariably, this natural calamity brought attention towards this area and now Latur and adjoining areas as well-developed.

Watch the below news snippet from BBC where the anchor describes the plight causing entire villages to be flattened as people were sleeping.

Assam Earthquake, 1950

Date - August 15, 1950
Time - 19:39
Deaths - 1,526
Magnitude - 8.6
Epicenter - Rima, Tibet (28.5°N 96.5°E)

Another one which happened on a national day of India. Many parts of Assam and Tibet were severely damage to unknown proportions. However, Assam bear the most brunt of this quake than that of Tibet.

The after effects was a strong flooding situation which added to the already scary situation.

Assam Earthquake, 1897

Date - June 12, 1897
Time - 17 :11
Deaths - 1,500
Magnitude - 8.1
Epicenter - Exact location not known (26°N 91°E)

The north-eastern states of India fall under the zone 5 hazard seismic area. Zone 5 being the highest risk area and Zone 1 being the lowest. States like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh from the nort-east, Kashmir, and Gujarat all fall in the Zone 5 and are the most prone to earthquakes.

This earthquake affected India, Tibet, and Burma.

Uttarkashi Earthquake, 1991

Date - October 20, 1991
Time - Unknown
Deaths - >1,000
Magnitude - 6.8
Epicenter - Garhwal, Uttarakhand (30.780°N 78.774°E)

Lakhs of people became homeless and nearly 42,000 homes and buildings were damaged. As much as 1300+ villages were destroyed. Many were injured and the official death toll stood at 768 but there were many more deaths than that.

The whole of Uttarkashi region was harshly affected which is now known as Uttarakhand.

Koynanagar Earthquake, 1967

Date - December 11, 1967
Time - 04:21
Deaths -180
Magnitude - 6.5
Epicenter - Koyna (17.4°N 73.76°E)

Koynanagar is the most seismically active area in the country. Koynagar has had a long history of earthquakes. As much as 20 known earthquakes have taken place at Koynanagar. The latest one being on 14th April 2014. It lies in the Zone 4 of the hazard zoning.

Of all of them the most severe one took place in 1967 with areas affecting to the tune of 25 kilometers with casualties of 180 and 1500 injured.