Mitigation of Earthquakes in Mega Cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Mitigation of Earthquakes in Mega Cities - Essay ExampleAlthough earthquake is a natural phenomenon that cannot be averted, we can take some precautions in enact to mitigate the destructive potential of its aftermath. The invention of Richter scale has enabled us for computing the order of magnitude of earthquakes. Today, it is possible to identify frequently earthquake occurring places and the intensity of every earthquake. modern-day facilities such as earthquake alarming systems are some of the advancements in this area. However, lack of improved infrastructural deterrence techniques often affects the effectiveness of disaster prevention in mage cities. According to census reports published by Government of Maharashtra (2000) in 1991, 60% of the registered buildings in Mumbai were made up of non-engineered materials such as informal masonry. It is important to seam that Mumbai is categorized under seismic zone 3, which indicates the high vulnerability to the occurrence of devas tating earthquakes. The earthquake history of Mumbai reflects that large number of earthquakes occurred across different part of the city during the last century and even in the last two years. Severe losses had not been reported until 1967 when one attacked Koyna region of Mumbai with a magnitude of 6.3. Large number of buildings was destroyed at this calamity. Damages of such sorts can be avoided to a large extent only if the city employs geotechnical guidelines for the disaster prevention. The Earthquakes and Megacities beginning(a) (EMI) reports that poor governance structures, lack of awareness, and poor professional standards and ethics are some of the major impediments for disaster prevention in mega cities (cited in Wenzel, 2006).