Karachi: on top of EarthQuake Fault Lines
“While Karachi lies close to a major fault line, it is situated on or close to four minor faults. The first is called the Allah Bund fault and it passes through the coastal town of Shah Bundar, the area around Pakistan Steel Mills and runs through eastern parts of the city ending near Cape Monz. Another fault lies in the Rann of Kutch near Sindh’s southeastern border with India. The third is called the Pubb fault which lies near the Mekran coast west of the city while a fourth is located in Dadu district on the northern boundary of Karachi.”
In his recent article in the DAWN , Omar Quraishi has mentioned the history of earthquakes in this region and raised some questions for the government:
(1) Does the Oct. 8 earthquake in any way affect the tectonic plate movement for the rest of the country, especially Karachi, since it lies close to a faultline? (2) Does the more recent seismic activity in the southern and coastal areas of Sindh mean that tectonic activity is increasing and, if so, should not this be a valid cause of concern given the way thousands of high-rise buildings are constructed in Karachi, often without any regard for construction rules? (3) If the national seismic hazard map needs to be updated, will Karachi be moved from its present category of “noticeable seismic danger” to that of “significant seismic danger”?
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December 28th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I leave in Landhi Karachi from last 2 week we are facing earthquake shocks consecutively everyday and twice and trice in a day night. Every time people feel the panic here.