Why balochistan is at risk from earthquakes

Although earthquakes cannot be predicted but as all major cities of Pakistan are located on the fault line, we must take every step to ensure every possible measure to protect the country from future disaster.

Now people are well aware of the fact that earthquakes are not the cause of killing the people, and the destruction is mainly due to collapsing of the buildings. This is certainly largely true for earthquakes in Pakistan where hardly some structures resistant to earthquake exist and mostly the buildings are highly vulnerable to earthquake.

It is the pressing need of the time to develop new building codes and they should strictly be implemented. Science International Lahore , 23, Geophysical Journal International, , In: Farah, A. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 61, No. RivistaItaliana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia, , Graphic Publisher, Karachi, p. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 98, Journal of Seismology, 13, T23CM [ 15 ] Malika, J.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, , Member Geological Survey of India, 38, GSA Special Papers, , Pakistan Meteorological Department. Memoirs of Geological Survey, India, 67, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 84, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 69, Tectonophysics, 66, Home Journals Article. DOI: Abstract This paper is about short review of earthquake statistics and efforts for earthquake mitigation, hazard and risk assessment studies in Pakistan.

Share and Cite:. Sarwar, F. Open Journal of Earthquake Research , 5 , Received 2 February ; accepted 15 May ; published 18 May 1. Method Pakistan is the most seismically active regions of Asia because of the presence of a number of active faults. It has been established that the major faults of Figure 1. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References [ 1 ] Atkinson, G. Journals Menu. Contact us. All Rights Reserved. Atkinson, G. Kazmi, A. Farhana, S. Parvez, I. Nakata, T. Calkins, J. Nowroozi, A. Gaetani, M. Kaneda, H. Kumahara, Y. Hussain, R. Malik, J. Malika, J. Middlemiss, C. PMD Seismic Reports. West, W. Wells, D. Quittmeyer R. Verma R. Inappropriate development initiatives and lack of an integr ated and holistic approach towards addressing development problems have made the environment a rather complex iss ue in Balochistan, thus complicating the disaster risks and vulnerabilities in the province.

An influx of massive refugees from Afghanistan has intensified the pressure in the province leading to environmental degradation, as well as pressure on governance and administrative structures.

The lack of coordinated and collaborative efforts towards addressing the underlying problems has led to the complexity of addressing development issues in the province.

Resultantly, poor urban planning, unregulated use of natural resources, rangeland degradation, dichotomy of water scarcity and inefficient use, loss of forests, wildlife, habitats, biodiversity and increased level of pollution all combined have led to an increase in disaster risks and vulnerability in Balochistan.

Damages and losses are all too evident and the needs are all too clear once disaster strikes. Managing disaster risks presents different challenges than those faced when managing disasters themselves. Balochistan is beset with a long list of natural and human induced hazards that threaten to effect the lives and livelihoods of its citizens, natural hazards including floods, earthquakes, cyclones, Tsunami and drought to human induced disasters such as fires, civil unrest, terrorism, refugees, health epidemics an d transport accidents.

The increased de mand for suitable human settlements, food, land and fuel wood following increasing population, has resulted in clearing of the natural vegetation cover and consequently the depletion of native species of plants and animals has negative impacts in the long run if left unchecked. Ground water is getting depleted because of unsustainable use of tube wells.