BIS UPDATES TO DIVIDE COUNTRY INTO FOUR
SEISMIC ZONES
The Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS) recently updated the seismic zone map of the country
and now made it into four zones from five. After taking into account
the data collected during the recent earthquakes the BIS merged
Zone I and Zone II. Now there are only four seismic Zones i.e.
II, III, IV and V. Zone V is the severest in terms of earthquake
proneness and damage.
The areas lying in
zones IV & V are considered to be most active. Zone-V comprises
the entire northeastern India, parts of J&K, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttranchal, Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, a part of north Bihar and
Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Zone-IV covers the remaining parts
of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Sikkim and parts of Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Gujarat. No part of the country
is free from earthquake hazard.
The BIS has also
published guidelines for safe design of structures. The Department
of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Urban Development and
Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Home Affairs have taken
several initiatives towards earthquake awareness and dissemination
of information related to construction practices and earthquake
resistant design of buildings.
