Palghar tremors force locals to stay in tents, kids out of school

AT LEAST 17 VILLAGES IN A 5-KM RADIUS AROUND THE EPICENTRE HAVE BEEN HIT BY TREMORS SINCE NOVEMBER

MUMBAI: In the past three months, at least 1,000 tremors of mild intensity have hit villages and hamlets in Palghar. With no discernible pattern to when the tremors hit or what their magnitude would be, authorities have asked residents to sleep in tents outside their homes, and schools to hold classes outdoors.

At least 17 villages in a 5-km radius around the epicentre — Dhundalwadi village in Dahanu — have been affected. The tremors are probably being caused by a fault line, or break in earth’s surface, in that area.

“The phenomenon is called an earthquake swarm, where several low magnitude tremors are felt one after the other,” said Dr Vineet Kumar Gahalaut, direcotr, National Centre for Seismology (NCS), which has set up three seismographs to study patterns. Gahalaut said such swarms usually do not destroy homes, but the tremors have residents on edge. Schools have stopped holding classes in buildings, and many of them reported a 60% drop in attendance rates .