Kukatpally wakes up to tremors

Reason for tremors could even be quarry blasts, says expert

Residents of Kukatpally woke up on Wednesday morning to a feel of tremors. They rushed out of their homes in desperation.

“I was fast asleep, then suddenly the earth started shaking and I woke up. I went outside to check if it was only my building or if the residents in nearby buildings too felt it,” said resident

“TOWARDS THE end of last year, the city has witnessed minor quakes measuring 1.7 on the Richter scale. The quakes in Borabanda do not have any relation with the tremors felt in Kukatpally,” D. Srinagesh said.

Ch Satya.

Experts from the National Geophysical

Research Institute (NGRI) who maintain a

seismograph to map quakes say that these could be minute tremors. “The reason for the tremors could even be quarry rock blast. Since Borabanda experienced tremors last year, chances are that small bursts of energy are still being released,” D. Srinagesh, chief scientist, Department of Seismology, NGRI, told Deccan Chronicle.

The country falls into four seismic zones. While zone two receives quakes up to 5 on the Richter scale, Zones three, four and five record quakes up to 5.7, 6.3 and 7.0 or more on the Richter scale.

“Towards the end of last year, the city has witnessed minor quakes measuring 1.7 on the Richter scale. The quakes in Borabanda do not have any relation with the tremors felt in Kukatpally,” he said.

At the time, officials from the NGRI visited Borabanda and installed the seismographs there to record tremors at Natco School, the Community Hall in Saibaba Nagar, and Site 4 and 5 in NRR Puram to record the frequency of sounds.

Four major earthquakes have occurred in and around the city. The first was in 1843 measuring 3.7, the second in 1876 registering 5.0, the third at Gandipet in 1982 measuring 3.2 and the fourth at Medchal in 1983 measuring 4.0.