A tectonic shift in considering to construct seismic resilience
The tremors that had been felt in Delhi on July 10, 2025, at 9.04 a.m. with a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter Scale — as reported by the Nationwide Middle for Seismology (NCS) — are a wake-up name for India’s seismic vulnerability. The epicentre, which was positioned roughly 20 kilometres southwest of town at a shallow depth of 5 kilometres, didn’t trigger vital injury however however uncovered the fragility of the capital’s infrastructure, the place over 80% of buildings, particularly these pre-dating the yr 2000, fail to adjust to seismic codes.
The July occasion follows a collection of earthquakes throughout Asia since March 2025, together with the devastating quake in Myanmar and Thailand (magnitude 7.7), tremors in Tibet and Greece, and recurring seismic exercise alongside the India-Myanmar border. As India sits on one of many world’s most tectonically energetic plates, the urgency to construct seismic resilience has by no means been higher.
The hazard of unpreparedness
India’s seismic threat is rooted within the northward drift of the Indian Plate, colliding with the Eurasian Plate at 4 centimetres to five cm a yr, shaping the Himalayas, which is a area overdue for a “Nice Himalayan Earthquake” of magnitude 8 or greater, doubtlessly impacting over 300 million folks throughout northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Delhi, which lies in Seismic Zone IV (excessive threat), with a peak floor acceleration (PGA) issue of 0.24g, lies perilously near this tectonic frontier.
The tremors felt in July, although average, highlighted the danger to town’s estimated 33.5 million residents and over 5,000 high-rises, many constructed with out adhering to the Bureau of Indian Requirements’ IS 1893:2016 Code, which mandates ductile detailing and shear partitions. Historic occasions such because the Bhuj earthquake of 2001 (7.7 magnitude, 20,000-plus deaths) and the Nepal quake of 2015 (7.8 magnitude) underscore the catastrophic potential of unpreparedness.
Past Delhi, India’s seismic zones, which vary from Zone II to V, span an enormous weak space. The northeast, together with Manipur, Nagaland, and Mizoram in Zone V (very excessive threat, PGA 0.36g+), has felt the ripple results of seismic exercise in Myanmar, notably the 7.7 magnitude Mandalay quake on March 28, 2025, and a 5.2 magnitude occasion on Could 17, 2025. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, additionally in Seismic Zone V, stay vulnerable to tsunamis following subduction zone exercise, as seen in 2004. The 5.7 magnitude Tibetan quake on Could 12, 2025, prompted tremors in Sikkim, reinforcing the restlessness within the Himalayan belt. Even distant occasions, such because the quake of magnitude of 6.2 in Greece on Could 22, 2025, replicate a worldwide sample of tectonic unrest, although their direct affect on India is minimal.
Higher hazard with urbanisation
Delhi’s speedy urbanisation exacerbates the danger it faces. Older buildings in East Delhi, constructed on liquefaction-prone soils, and poorly designed high-rises pose a menace throughout robust quake shaking. The NCS’s real-time monitoring utilizing the IndiaQuake app presents early warnings, however enforcement and public consciousness lag behind. Examine this to Bangkok, the place up to date seismic codes since 2007 mitigated injury regardless of a flat-slab collapse in 2025, or Myanmar, the place unenforced codes worsened the quake toll in 2025. India should bridge this enforcement hole to guard its cities.
The worldwide seismic context heightens the urgency. The Greece earthquake, although 5,000 km away, is a part of a collection of tremors since March, together with these in Indonesia, the Chile-Argentina border, and Ecuador on Could 3, 2025. Whereas these don’t instantly set off Indian quakes, they sign a dynamic earth, pointing to the necessity for preparedness. The Himalayan seismic hole, the place pressure has constructed for the reason that quake in Kangra (1905) and the ‘Gorkha quake’ (Nepal, 2015), are a ticking clock, with a significant occasion doubtlessly devastating Delhi and past.
To counter this, India should implement seismic codes rigorously. In Delhi, retrofitting older buildings with metal jacketing and mandating deep pile foundations in weak areas can improve stability. Guwahati, in Zone V, wants strict IS 1893:2016 compliance, avoiding Brahmaputra floodplain building to stop liquefaction, and adopting base isolation for crucial infrastructure. Bhuj requires expanded retrofitting and group catastrophe response groups. The Delhi Improvement Authority ought to speed up compliance checks, whereas the NCS expands early warning techniques to rural Zone V areas.
International classes
The worldwide classes are instructive. Bangkok’s use of high-strength concrete (30MPa-40 MPa) and ductile detailing presents a mannequin, although its decrease seismic threat (0.1g-0.2g) differs from India’s Zone V challenges. The injury seen in Myanmar as a consequence of unreinforced masonry is a warning about neglect — a threat India should keep away from. Tailor-made options — accounting for the Northeast’s gentle soils and Kutch’s sandy basins — require annual retrofitting investments of ₹50,000 crore, as estimated by specialists.
With seismic exercise intensifying regionally and globally, India can not afford delay. The Authorities of India should lead with stringent enforcement, public schooling, and resilient infrastructure funding. Residents ought to educate themselves in regards to the want for emergency kits, protected constructing practices, and evacuation plans. The Bhuj catastrophe, the place unpreparedness amplified casualties, stays a haunting lesson. As tremors punctuate India’s seismic panorama, constructing resilience is a technical and ethical responsibility to be able to shield lives and livelihoods.
There must be a nationwide dialogue urging motion earlier than the following main quake strikes. Delhi’s tremor echoes this urgency, demanding a metamorphosis from vulnerability to energy.
Balasubramanian Govindasamy is a retired Chief Engineer and former Deputy Adviser, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Authorities of India. He has been a central authorities workforce member to mitigate the ingesting water drawback within the wake of pure calamities throughout India
Revealed – July 17, 2025 12:08 am IST
