1. 2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time
(3:16 UTC) and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of
Chobari[3] in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India.[4] The earthquake reached a magnitude of between
7.6 and 7.7 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum felt intensity of X (Intense) on the Mercalli
intensity scale. The quake killed around 20,000 people (including 18 in South eastern Pakistan), injured another
167,000 and destroyed nearly 400,000 homes.[5]
This was an intraplate earthquake, one that occurred at a distance from an active plate boundary, so the area was not
well prepared. The shock waves spread 700 km. 21 districts were affected and 600,000 people left homeless.
Effects
The final death toll in Kutch was 12,290. Bhuj, situated only 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the epicenter, was
devastated. Considerable damage also occurred in Bhachau and Anjar with hundreds of villages flattened in Taluka
of Anjar, Bhuj & Bhachau. Over a million structures were damaged or destroyed, including many historic buildings
and tourist attractions.[7] The quake destroyed around 40% of homes, eight schools, two hospitals and 4 km of road
in Bhuj and partly destroyed the city's historic Swaminarayan temple and historic fort as well Prag Mahal and Aina
Mahal. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial capital with a population of 5.6 million, as many as 50 multi-storied
buildings collapsed and several hundred people were killed. Total property damage was estimated at $5.5 billion and
rising. In Kutch, the quake destroyed about 60% of food and water supplies and around 258,000 houses - 90% of the
district's housing stock. The biggest set back was the total demolition of the Bhuj Civil hospital. The Indian military
provided emergency support which was later augmented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Society. A temporary Red Cross hospital remained in Bhuj to provide care while a replacement hospital
was built.[8]
The September 29, 1993, M6.4 Killari, Maharashtra Earthquake in Central India
The 1993 Killari earthquake in central peninsular India is the latest intracratonic event to be
responsible for a large disaster. The positive side of this tragedy is that it will provide new insights into
geologic, engineering and cultural factors that control the distribution and degree of damage, which
will aid in turn the development of a more effective hazard reduction program for peninsular India and
similar intrapolate environments.
This report summarizes our observations during a ten-day investigation of the mesoseismal area of the
1993 Killari earthquake. Several aspects of the earthquake were investigated, ranging from the surface
rupture and related deformation to the pattern of damage to engineered and traditional structures.
Finally, the rescue and reconstruction efforts following the earthquake brought out important issues
that are generally relevant to earthquake hazard reduction in traditional rural settings; these are also
briefly discussed.
Key Information
Location: Centered near the village of Killari, Latur district, Maharashtra State, Central India (18.2N;
76.4E) Main Shock Source Characteristics (USGS): 00:03:53 local time, September 30, 1993
(22:25:53 GMT, September 29); Ma = 6.4; Mb= 6.3; Mw= 6.1; centroid depth = 5km; moment tensor
solution yields an almost pure thrust with quasi-horizontal P axis striking N31° E.
2. Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and
Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the west, by the Kupwara and Baramulla districts of the
Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in the east, and the Neelum District of Azad Kashmir in the north. According to the 1998
Census, the population of the district was 725,000, and according to a 1999 projection, the population had risen to almost
741,000. The district comprises three tehsils, and the city of Muzaffarabad serves as the cultural, legislative and financial
capital of what is presently known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
History
Early history
The original name of Muzaffarabad was Udabhanda.
Hieun tsang, the celebrated Buddhist pilgrim who is said to have visited the valley in 633 A.D mentions Pan-nu-tso i.e.
modern day Punch, Ho-lo-she-pu-to i.e. modern day Rajauri. He entered India from Udabhanda, Urasa (present Muzafrabad
and Uskara) entered the valley via Baramula gorge. [5]