The residents of Shimla and Kullu Districts were woken up by a series of medium-intensity tremors that rocked parts of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday morning. Tremors were felt thrice — at 6:46 AM , 7:05 AM and 9:02 AM. Their magnitude was measured at 4.6, 4.3 and 4.2 on the Richter scale respectively. The epicenter of the quakes was in Kullu at a depth of 10 km. Earlier in April last strong tremours were felt across Himachal Pradesh after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck northeast Afghanistan near the country’s borders with Pakistan and Tajikistan. The earthquake, whose epicentre was the Hindukush Mountain Range in Afghanistan, struck at 3:58 PM, sending ripples across north India. Reports of heavy tremour also poured in from Chamba, Shimla, Kullu and Mandi. The frequent appearances of earthquake in the sub-Himalayan Range is an indication that tectonic forces are active in the region and can be precursor to some major quake which may hit the region any time. Most of the sub-Himalayan region as per geological studies has not settled down and forces are in action down under. Earlier in November last tremours of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake were felt as far as Delhi and its adjoining areas. The temblor that jolted most of the major cities in Pakistan, including Quetta, Karachi and Multan were also felt in Lahore. The rising frequency of earth quakes especially in the northern region is a matter of concern. As far as disaster management is concerned still much has to be done as the scientific measures and the relevant equipment needed is in short supply. The Union Home Ministry’s disaster management experts have warned of a bigger catastrophe, earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.2 or greater on the Richter Scale which may hit the already ruptured Himalayan region. The tectonic shift a series of these recent earthquakes have caused in the region — Manipur 6.7 (Jan 2016), Nepal 7.3 (May 2015) and Sikkim 6.9 (2011) — have re-ruptured the plates that had already developed cracks during previous temblors. This has led to conditions which might trigger multiple earthquakes which may go up to 8.0 in magnitude.
