Many districts in Odisha at risk of earthquake

At a time when the sinking of soil in the Himalayan town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand has become a serious concern, comparable seismic occurrences in Odisha cannot be ruled out. According to the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), the state is also vulnerable to natural catastrophes of varying magnitudes. According to the research, Odisha is located in seismic zones 2 and 3. The state is classified as moderately and somewhat prone.

The moderately prone zone encompasses 14 districts (zone 2). Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nayagarh, and Keonjhar are the districts. Zone 3 includes the districts of Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, and Balasore (partially prone zone).

As per the Ministry of Earth Science, considering the recorded history of earthquakes in the country, a total of 59 per cent of the land mass of India (covering all states of India) is prone to earthquakes of different intensities. As per the seismic zoning map of the country, the total area is classified into four seismic zones. Zone V is seismically the most active region, while zone II is the least. Approximately, 11 per cent area of the country falls in zone V, 18 per cent in zone IV, 30 per cent in zone III and remaining in zone II.

The National Centre for Seismology under Ministry of Earth Sciences is the nodal agency of Government of India (GoI) for monitoring earthquakes in and around the country.