‘Possibility of a tsunami hitting Gujarat coast cannot be ruled out’

Professor VM Patel, head of civil engineering department, Ganpat University, Mehsana, and who has been engaged in assessing the probability of a tsunami in Gujarat, says that due to a fault-line under the Arabian Sea, the possibility cannot be ruled of tidal waves like ones that had hit Indonesia in 2004, wreaking havoc on Gujarat coasts.

Talking to DNA on the sidelines of the International Symposium on Earthquake Science at Institute of Seismological Research (ISR), Gandhinagar, professor Patel said, because of the Makran Subduction Zone (MSZ), there is a risk of a devastating tsunami on the coast line of Gujarat. "MSZ is an active fault area which may cause a high magnitude earthquake under the sea leading to a tsunami," Prof. Patel said. To counter such a scenario effectively, we need to build tsunami resistant structures in coastal towns, he suggested.

The three-day symposium at ISR concluded on Monday with experts, including professor Patel, discussing new techniques to predict and prevent disasters like earthquakes.

Professor Patel, who has done research on effects of tsunami on Gujarat, said that he is focusing on four coastal towns -- Porbandar, Dwarka, Okha and Mandvi -- in his studies. He stressed on the urgent need to protect people and buildings of these towns from possible tsunami that may be triggered by an earthquake under sea.

He started his research on cause and subsequent effects of tsunami four years back and also taken help of ISR in it.

The only tsunami recorded in Gujarat dates back to 1945, when an earthquake of 8.5 magnitude under the sea had led to tidal waves.

That quake was named after Makran fault-line, which is 650km away from Porbandar under the Arabian Sea bed. Two-meter high waves had hit coastal Gujarat back then. "Due to the activity of Makaran fault, same can be repeated. So, it's important to build tsunami resistant structures on these coasts," said the professor who is concerned about Dwarka temple, as well as other ports of Gujarat.

Professor Patel said that should an earthquake happen under the Arabian Sea, tsunami waves can hit the Gujarat coast within 140 minutes. "Both Dwarka and Porbandar are historically important towns, and we have only that much time to prevent widespread damage," he said.

To avoid such a Tamil Nadu-like situation in Gujarat, Prof Patel has given many suggestions to Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority. They include the erection of a 'sea wall' to protect Dwarka temple. "It is widely used in Japan and many European countries. This wall will protect heritage structures as well as thousands of pilgrimage places," said the professor.

Professor Patel has also suggested building a few tsunami resistant buildings in each of these towns. "These five storied buildings can be used as shelters for residents of these cities," he said.