Discuss about the vulnerability of India to earthquake related hazards. Give examples including the salient features of major disasters caused by earthquakes in different parts of India during the last three decades.
Approach · directive: “discuss / give examples”
What it asks · Explain why India is highly exposed to earthquake hazards and give examples of major earthquakes of the last three decades with their salient features.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Discuss India's vulnerability to earthquake-related hazards: tectonic setting, seismic zoning, human factors and secondary hazards
- Give examples of major earthquakes of the last three decades in different parts of India, with their salient features, and the preparedness they call for
Open with · 59% of India's land is earthquake-prone: 11% in zone V, 18% in zone IV, 30% in zone III (NIDM); exposure rises as towns outgrow codes.
Cover
- Vulnerability: 59% of land earthquake-prone (NIDM); Indian plate pushing under Eurasia strains the Himalayan arc; Kachchh rift and peninsular faults also active.
- BIS zone V covers parts of the Himalaya, the North-East, Kachchh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; non-engineered houses and weak code enforcement multiply risk.
- Secondary hazards: landslides, liquefaction, tsunami (2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, Mw 9.3, NDMA).
- Examples: Uttarkashi 1991, Latur 1993, Chamoli 1999, Bhuj 2001 (over 13,000 dead, liquefaction, Ahmedabad collapses), Kashmir 2005, Sikkim 2011.
- Way forward: BIS-code construction, retrofitting (AIIMS New Delhi and Bhuj hospitals first), seismic observatories up from 80 in 2014 to 168 (PIB 2025), NDRF drills.
- Conclusion anchor: the Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda on DRR implements the Sendai Framework 2015 (PIB).
Close with · The Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda on DRR, India's route to the Sendai Framework 2015, makes risk reduction a development task: safety built into every house, not rescue after the shock.
Add value (verified)
- About 59% of India's land mass is classed as earthquake-prone: 11% in zone V, 18% in zone IV and 30% in zone III.Earthquake safety, National Institute of Disaster Management (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗“seismologists have classified 59% of the land mass of India as prone to earthquakes of different magnitudes - 11% in very high risk zone V, 18% in high risk zone IV and 30% moderate risk zone III.”
- NDMA records that the tsunami of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (Mw 9.3) was caused by vertical displacement of the seafloor and affected India among many Indian Ocean countries, so earthquake hazard for India includes tsunami.Tsunami, Natural Hazards, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) ↗“The tsunami that occurred during 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of Mw 9.3 was primarily caused by vertical displacement of the seafloor, in response to slip on the inter-plate thrust fault. The earthquake and resulting tsunami in the Indian Ocean affected many countries in Southeast Asia and beyond, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India”
- PIB (February 2025): India's seismic observatories grew from 80 in 2014 to 168.PIB: Union Minister highlights earthquake preparedness in Rajya Sabha, Ministry of Earth Sciences, 13 February 2025 ↗“In 2014, there were only 80 observatories, whereas today, their number has grown to 168.”
- The same PIB release records retrofitting of old buildings, with AIIMS New Delhi and Bhuj hospitals among the first institutions taken up.PIB: Union Minister highlights earthquake preparedness in Rajya Sabha, Ministry of Earth Sciences, 13 February 2025 ↗“Old buildings are being retrofitted and strengthened to withstand seismic events. Notably, AIIMS New Delhi and Bhuj hospitals were among the first institutions included in the restructuring plan.”
- PIB: the Prime Minister's ten-point agenda on DRR gives practical guidance for implementing the Sendai Framework 2015, adopted by 187 countries including India.PIB: Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction, Ministry of Home Affairs, December 2023 ↗“The Prime Minister's ten-point agenda provides practical guidance and added impetus to implement Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015 adopted by 187 countries, including India.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2021, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 225words · Minimalist IAS
59% of India's land is earthquake-prone: 11% in zone V, 18% in zone IV, 30% in zone III (NIDM); exposure rises as towns outgrow codes.
Why India is vulnerable
- Tectonics: the Indian plate's push under Eurasia strains the Himalayan arc; the Kachchh rift and peninsular faults also rupture.
- Zoning: BIS zone V: parts of the Himalaya, the North-East, Kachchh, Andaman and Nicobar.
- Human factors: non-engineered masonry, unplanned towns, weak code enforcement and low awareness turn tremors into disasters.
- Secondary hazards: landslides, liquefaction and tsunami (2004 Sumatra-Andaman quake, Mw 9.3).
Major earthquakes of the last three decades
- Uttarkashi 1991 and Chamoli 1999 (Garhwal): villages flattened, landslides blocked roads.
- Latur 1993 (Maharashtra): shallow quake in a 'safe' region; stone houses collapsed, heavy toll.
- Bhuj 2001 (Gujarat): over 13,000 dead; liquefaction and collapses in distant Ahmedabad exposed urban risk.
- Kashmir 2005, Sikkim 2011: landslides cut roads, delaying rescue.
✏️ Map to sketch in the exam · Major earthquakes, 1991-2011
- Shade: Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim = Himalayan arc
- Shade: Maharashtra = Latur 1993
- Shade: Gujarat = Bhuj 2001
Draw on India's official outline (Survey of India boundary).
Way forward
- Prepare, not predict: BIS-code building, retrofitting (AIIMS New Delhi and Bhuj hospitals first), masons, NDRF drills; seismic observatories rose from 80 (2014) to 168 (PIB 2025).
The Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda on DRR, India's route to the Sendai Framework 2015, makes risk reduction a development task: safety built into every house, not rescue after the shock.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
