New warning on earthquake in Nepal and Himalayan region

As pressure in the region’s crust is building up and could be released far more powerfully than previously imagined, the researchers warn that the Himalayan region including Nepal will have to face major quake

 Along with Nepal, north India could experience a powerful earthquake, it could happen sooner than expected and wreak more damage than previously estimated, according to the findings of a research study by scientists at Bangalore’s respected Indian Institute of Science (IISc).In case of such disaster, Nepal is nowhere close to being ready to deal with a powerful seismic shock.

The researchers analyzed earthquakes over the years in the seismically-volatile northern Himalayan region. Their study will be published in next month’s issue of the Journal of Tectonophysics, a peer-reviewed journal.

"Under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal has made certain progress in coping disaster management," said Shaker Koirala chief of Disaster Management Division of Ministry of Home Affairs. "We are now building nationwide networks to cope with such situation."

For at least three decades now, seismologists have been unanimous that a major quake (exceeding magnitude 8.2) is imminent somewhere between Bihar and Nepal, and Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), referred to as the central conflict zone, as well as around Delhi and Uttarkashi. The IISc scientists point out that those studies assume that the last major quake that rocked the region happened 500 years ago, whereas their calculations and on-site excavations suggest that such a quake happened 1,000 years ago.