Terrible earthquake warning in Uttarakhand raises tension, people cancel Char Dham Yatra
“We cannot predict the exact time and date, but a major earthquake can hit Uttarakhand anytime,” asserted the chief scientist of the National Geophysical Research Institute.
Thousands of people died in the earthquake in Turkey. Millions were left homeless and nearly as many were injured. In this regard, rescue operations have been going on continuously for the last several days. Amidst all this, the chief scientist of India’s National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has warned of Turkey-like earthquakes in Uttarakhand as well. He says that an earthquake of Turkey’s magnitude can also occur in Uttarakhand. On the other hand, it has come to light that the number of phone calls to tour operators to cancel packages has increased following the earthquake warning.
National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) Chief Scientist Dr. N. Purnachandra Rao said that a lot of stress is building up under the surface in Uttarakhand region and an earthquake becomes necessary to relieve the stress. However, he said, the date and time of the earthquake cannot be predicted.
Moving GPS points
With this, he said, we have installed around 80 seismic stations in the Himalayan region centered on Uttarakhand. We are monitoring the situation in real time. Our data show that. The stress has been building up for a long time. We have a GPS network in this area. GPS points are moving, indicating changes below the surface.
Heavy earthquake may occur in Uttarakhand
Dr. Rao said that variometric GPS data processing is a reliable method to determine what is happening on Earth. We cannot predict the exact time and date, but a major earthquake can hit Uttarakhand anytime, Rao asserted. Let us tell you that a rheometer measures the variation in the earth’s magnetic field. Earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above are called “great earthquakes”.
An earthquake with a magnitude greater than 8
Along with this, he said that there is a possibility of an earthquake of magnitude more than 8 in the Himalayan region. The area stretches from Jammu-Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. “Damage depends on population density, quality of buildings, construction on mountains or plains. We believe the magnitude of the earthquake will be equal to or greater than that of Turkey,” he added.
People were left in limbo following the earthquake warning
On the other hand, it has come to light that the number of phone calls to tour operators to cancel packages has increased following the earthquake warning. After the warning of the Chief Scientist of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) Dr. N. Purnachandra Rao, the devotees are left in a quandary whether to book the train-flight or not.
It is to be noted that, for the convenience of the devotees, advance booking has been started two months before the start of the journey. Let us tell you that Char Dham Yatra is starting in the month of April. Under which the cupboards of Kedarnath Dham and Badrinath Dham will be opened on 25th April and 27th April. Devotees will be able to do their online registration from today itself. Considering the crowd of devotees who flocked to Char Dham last year, a decision may be taken to increase the number of devotees for darshan this time also.
