Over the years, scientists have been warning us about a time -time bomb, which have become deeply buried under the Himalayas, as a large earthquake that can rip through northern India and have frightening consequences. Scientists call it “Great Himalayan Earthquake“And this is expected to reach the magnitude of 8 or higher and is frightening to know that researchers say it is not a speculation but a certainty.
“India slides 2 meters below the southern edge of every century in an interview in an interview with the Times of India,” Roger Bilham said. “Unfortunately, its northern edge does not slide smoothly, but is hung for hundreds of years (by friction) and catchs in minutes when this friction is removed. Slip events, which we call earthquakes, have unavoidable and indispensable results of this speed.”
Historically, earthquakes of this scale occurred every few hundred years. But now it has exceeded 70 years because one has grown that the Himalayas have hit the arc, which is sufficient to release immense tectonic pressure. As Bilham says, “They should be. It is not ‘possibly’.” For millions of people with thi scores a terror near a terror or at the top of the major mistake lines, which is unsafe for India’s earthquake.
Voting
Do you believe that India is sufficiently prepared for a major earthquake in the Himalayan region?
Is Myanmar’s earthquake related to this?
On March 28, a disastrous 7.7-Panchayat earthquake hit Myanmar, killing at least 2,719 people and injured more than 4,500. Seventeen more died in neighboring country, Thailand. The earthquake triggered by a strike-slip fault along the teak line released energy compared to 300 atomic bombs. The bridges collapsed, the buildings were uprooted, and the entire families were buried alive.
A person passes through the rubble in a Buddhist monastery building, which has fallen after an earthquake in Myanmar, Myanmar on Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine OO)
This devastation should be awakened by India as about 59% of India is unsafe for seismic activity. States like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and all Northeast India are located in high -risk areas. Major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai also sit on dangerous mistake lines. For example, the Delhi is in the Earthquaking region IV, which is just above the Delhi-Haridwar ridge and recently a 4.0-changing shock shook the capital, whose sub-center was located in the Dhaula Kuan area of Delhi.
Next earthquake may be more intense than Nepal 2015 earthquake
According to a report by the Times of India, the magnitude of about three-fourths of the 2,000 km long Himalayan arc is unsafe for an earthquake of 8.2, which will release three times the energy of the 2015 Nepal earthquake that stood at 7.8. Some segments can produce a magnitude 8.7 earthquakes, releasing eight times more energy than the disaster of Nepal.
There is a low-affair, but a magnitude is the potential landscape of 9 earthquakes, similar to one that may have hit medieval India 800–900 years ago.
While the intensity of overall shocks was felt during the Nepal earthquake, it cannot cross, the duration of the tremors may last for five minutes, creating a serious threat to the structurally weak buildings of the region.
What needs to be changed?
Unlike India, countries like Japan and Chile also suffer from major earthquakes, but they have learned how to live with earthquake risk. They have implemented strict construction criteria, trained communities, and run regular exercises. Their city is not immune, but they are far better.
India is not suffering from lack of knowledge, but it suffers from lack of implementation. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has designed earthquake-flexible construction codes, “but they often disregard.” Builders who ignore these rules will have to face strict legal consequences to ensure accountability.
It is necessary to conduct regular structural audit. Some positive movements like Noida are bound with top institutions in cities-like IIT-Kanpur, Bits Pilani, and CBRI Rurki professional audit however, however, the country still faces a serious shortage of trained professionals that can carry out these checks.
To bridge this difference, universities, technical institutes and non -governmental organizations need to step into. By starting certification programs and mentorship, we can create a new generation of seismic security professionals.
As Bilham warned, “The great Himalayan earthquake of the future (with magnitude between 8.2 and 8.9) … will be unprecedented because the Himalayas are the only place in the world where such a large earthquake can occur on the ground, exposing about 300 million people to violent jerks.”
To avoid frightening damage, we must do ‘work’ before the earthquake attacks and not after that. This means rebuilding old buildings, training security auditors, and justifying builders. This means adding emergency withdrawal areas in cities, operating school drills, and making everyday earthquake safety part.
The next major earthquake is unavoidable. But there are no mass death and destruction. We still have time to prepare, only when we choose to use it.
