Tremors rattle Delhi, halt Metro, no damage reported
JOLTED Tremors of ‘fairly strong’ category recorded in the Capital, people rushed out of their houses and offices, fire department conduct safety drills in high-rises DISASTER STRIKES
NEW DELHI: It was a regular afternoon in the Capital till intense tremors from an earthquake, which originated in the Hindukush region in Afghanistan, shook Delhiites on Monday.
The earthquake was of 7.5 magnitude. In the Capital, the intensity was felt at 5 — fairly strong — on the MedvedevSponheuer-Karnik scale, which is used to measure intensity.
People in city rushed out of their houses and offices when the temblor jolted the city at 2:45pm. Though no damage of life or property was reported, tremors could be felt for up to one minute. Aftershocks were felt around 20 minutes later that lasted for around 30 seconds, according to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority.
Residential complexes and offices were evacuated and people were seen standing outside buildings making frantic calls to relatives, friends and loved ones.
“I was sitting in the office and suddenly my computer started shaking. We all thought that it will stop after a few seconds but it started getting stronger. By the time we all reached down we saw that people from neighbouring offices were there. I have never seen so many people come down after an earthquake. It was massive,” said Rajan Bhatnagar, a software engineer, whose office is located at ITO.
Delhi Metro halted its services for over 15 minutes, and for over an hour afterwards trains ran at slow speed.
“Metro train services were put on hold from 2:40 pm to 2:55 pm in view of the earthquake tremors. Thereafter, train services were brought to normal routine,” said a DMRC spokesperson.
Delhi’s disaster management teams were also alerted and chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to remain calm.
“Please stay calm and do not panic. Disaster management teams have been activated,” (sic) Kejriwal tweeted.
He urged people to use the DDMA helpline 1077 in case of any concerns regarding building cracks and other potential dangers. The Delhi Fire Services’ number was flooded with anxious phone calls with queries and complaints from various parts of the city. However, no genuine calls were received, senior officials said. In view of the earthquake, district fire stations were ordered to conduct regular evacuation drills in high-rise buildings to create and check disaster preparedness. Approximate number of building structures in Delhi (including flats/apartments) Buildings violate construction rules, as per Centre for Science and Environment
NO. OF DANGEROUS BUILDINGS
NORTH MCD:
SDMC: EDMC:
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS IN SENSITIVE BELT
Delhi is categorised under Seismic Zone 4
Delhi has been hit by five devastating earthquakes measuring higher than magnitude of 5 since 1720
The most prone to earthquake neighbourhoods in Delhi lie about two miles on either side of the Yamuna river, the southwestern outskirts of the city known as the Chhattarpur basin, as well as the Ridge
Most of the buildings in the city don’t conform to safety norms
Delhi Disaster management Authority: 1077
Police: 100 Fire Brigade: 101 Ambulance: 102 Accident and Trauma: 109 and 1199
I was sitting in the office and suddenly my computer started shaking. We all thought that it will stop after a few seconds but it started getting stronger. By the time we all reached down we saw that people from neighbouring offices were there.
RAJAN BHATNAGAR, Software engineer whose office is at ITO
There are around 50 lakh buildings in the city. Most of them are hardly checked for structural safety. Officials are required to carry out a check prior to the monsoon. But due to lack of manpower and equipment, the survey is just a visual check from outside the building.
RAJESH BHATIA, member, standing committee, North Delhi civic body