According to Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi Chief Minister, “Since April 2020, 18 very mild tremors have taken place in and around Delhi. Only two of these have registered above 4, or mild intensity, on the Richter scale.
Experts say a major quake is unlikely but not impossible and could kill hundreds of thousands in the crowded megacity of 20 million.
Delhiites have been warned to prepare for a potential major earthquake after the Indian capital was wobbled by a rare series of tremors in recent months.
The government recently launched an awareness campaign and included double-page adverts in national newspapers with a list of dos and don’ts during an earthquake.
Scientist J.L. Gautam from the National Centre for Seismology said a rise in the frequency of tremors was not unheard of in Delhi, but the city government was right to be spreading awareness.
“It’s not a linear phenomenon — sometimes there is a higher number of earthquakes and at times they are fewer. What the Delhi government is doing in planning is definitely a good thing,” said Gautam.
“If the city were to be hit by a high-magnitude quake, hundreds of thousands of residents could lose their lives because many buildings were poorly constructed,” he added.
