Earthquakes Don't Kill, Buildings Do: The Importance of Building Codes and Disaster Resilience
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Geography (Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Seismic Zones of India); Disaster Management.
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Geography): Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, etc., their causes and effects.
General Studies Paper 3 (Disaster Management): Disaster and disaster management. The role of governance and building codes in disaster mitigation is a core Mains topic.
Key Highlights from the News
A powerful earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck Afghanistan, killing thousands.
Earthquakes are not inherently deadly. The article strongly argues that poor quality construction and the strict non-adherence to strong building codes are the main reasons for large-scale casualties.
In countries like Chile, which are highly prone to earthquakes, the presence of strong building codes significantly reduces damage and casualties even during major earthquakes.
The Afghanistan earthquake was a shallow quake. This caused stronger ground vibrations and increased damage.
The Hindu Kush mountain range, including Afghanistan, is a high seismic risk zone because it is located near the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
A country's disaster response efforts, along with rescue operations, should also focus on promoting disaster-resilient construction methods.
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