This study analyzes the exposure of energy and transport assets in Asia and the Pacific to climate change and earthquake hazards and highlights how multi-hazard assessment can help strengthen the resilience of crucial infrastructure. Geolocating and undertaking a multi-hazard assessment of more than 30,000 infrastructure assets, the study identifies significant …
with the recent discovery of an extremely large offshore petroleum reserve in the northern sector of the Caspian Sea, an environmental disaster is in the making. Leading oil companies
scientists at the uk-based University College of London (ucl) have recreated earthquakes in the laboratory. This is the first time scientists have been able to generate and observe deep and intermediate focus earthquakes in the laboratory, recreating the exact pressure and temperature conditions of the deep Earth. Intermediate and deep …
Despite the fact that Sydney lies in a seismic zone, Australia's nuclear watchdog has given the clearance for a new reactor at a suburb near the city. The construction of the us $171-million replacement research reactor had been put on hold after excavation work at the site uncovered a geological …
a series of mild tremors following the earthquake, which hit the Andaman and Nicobar islands on September 14, 2002, has raised fears of a possible eruption of the Barren volcano. Experts say that a possible eruption of the volcano, located a few kilometres away from Diglipur at Barren Island can …
During the past decade, natural hazards have wrought havoc like never before. As many as 4,777 natural disasters have claimed more than 880,000 lives, affected the homes, health and livelihoods of 1.88 billion people and inflicted economic losses of around us $685 billion. While divulging these alarming facts, the 400-page …
a computer system tested in Taiwan can give people as much as 25 seconds warning of an impending earthquake. This may not seem very long, but it is enough time for automated emergency systems to stop trains, shut down gas lines or tell surgeons to stop their work. "This could …
The Himalayan arc, 40% of which ruptured in the last two centuries, has witnessed half a dozen large to great earthquakes including the 1833 and 1934 Bihar
The political debate over nuclear waste disposal in Nevada's Yucca Mountain in the us took a new turn with the senate giving its final approval to dump 77,000 tonnes of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel 100 kilometres northwest of Las Vegas. The move cleared the decks for the Nuclear …
IT IS ironic that earthquakes should extract such a high human cost in India, which pioneered the framing of building codes for seismic areas in 1962. When the Japanese city of Kobe was rocked in 1995, the death toll was 6,400 as compared to about 30,000 lives lost during the …
A year has passed. But Gujarat remains shaky in more ways than one. Metaphorically, its residents are struggling to come to grips with the devastation caused by the January 26, 2001, earthquake. In a literal sense, too, the ground beneath their feet is anything but terra firma. Sample this. Junagarh …
A year down the road, the quake-ravaged Gujarat has undergone more than a cosmetic change. In Ahmedabad, the debris has been cleared. Buildings that collapsed in a roar of brick and mortar are being pieced together again. And makeshift structures have sprung up. But the scars are yet to heal. …
It is now inevitable that Tehri will be submerged. The 185-year-old Himalayan town's fate was sealed on December 5, 2001, when the gates of two tunnels were shut to terminate the flow of the Bhagirathi river. This major step towards completion of the controversy-ridden Tehri dam also marked the petering …
delhi is the third most quake-prone city in the world and an estimated 38,000 people would die if a powerful earthquake hits it. Building collapse will cause half the deaths. The toll may mount due to emergency response problems, medical care problems and fires. This has been stated by a …
india can expect one or more devastating earthquakes in the near future, predict researchers from the University of Colorado, usa. An analysis of the shifting Indian subcontinent reveals enormous pent-up strain along most of the 1,200-km arc where it slides under the Himalaya and beyond the Tibetan plateau. The researchers …
The latest typhoon-driven mudslides in Taiwan, which killed nearly 100 people, indicate that Taiwanese have made little progress in weaning from cultivation of betel nut trees. According to the researchers, when earthquakes or typhoons cause the mountains to crumble, the shallow-rooted trees do little to grip the rocks and soil. …
At least 50 people were killed and about 500 injured when an earthquake rocked southern Peru on June 23, 2001. Measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, the maximum impact of the quake was felt in the city of Arequipa. Electricity supply and telecommunications lines got disrupted all over the country …
"Uncleared debris is a grim reminder of the tragedy. It stops the mind from functioning, prevents action on part of the people. It is a hurdle to moving ahead.'
T he merit of kat-ki-kunni (timber-cornered building) of Himachal Pradesh can be traced back to 1905, if not earlier. A massive temblor levelled every village from Dharamsala to Kangra. Measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, it lasted two minutes and was felt over 416,000 sq km. But, buildings with kat-ki-kunni …
At 2.53 am on October 25, 1991, a moderate earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale affected more than 425,000 people of about 2,100 villages in the districts of Uttarkashi, Tehri and Chamoli in what was then Uttar Pradesh and is now the hill state of Uttaranchal. Traditionally built timber …
