Six seismogram towers set up in Joshimath to monitor land sinking

Category : Science and Tech Published on: July 10 2023

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The National Centre of Seismology (NCS) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences recently installed six seismogram towers in Joshimath to monitor land subsidence and develop a robust solution.
These towers will facilitate compiling data for a study on whether the region has natural or man-made hydrological changes causing land subsidence.
The study will help prepare seismic micro-zonation maps, which are very useful in urban planning because they help predict the impact of earthquakes. After this, the Chamoli region, where Joshimath is located, will have its own building design code for future development.
It will also help in long-term planning for the sustainable development of high seismic zones in the Himalayan region. The result of this study will come in December this year.
There was already one seismogram tower set up in Joshimath in 1991. “The first tower measured earthquakes at a regional scale, whereas new towers are dedicated to measuring earthquakes at the local scale to get more detailed information.
NCS had conducted a similar study in Gujarat’s Bhuj in 2003, after the great Bhuj earthquake of 2001.