Survey to trace Ahmedabad’s fault lines

Can a 20-storeyed building be constructed in Ahmedabad? Is my house on the fifth floor of a building quake-proof?

These and many more such questions might be bothering you whenever you hear the word 'earthquake'. The Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) in Gandhinagar may have a solution to your problems. It has initiated a survey to know the city's exact vulnerability against quakes after testing city's soil. So far, it has dug ten bore-wells on the outskirts of the city and will dig similar ones inside the city soon.

The survey will conclude with the exact fault lines, responsible for earthquake and will help in deciding the chances and magnitude of an earthquake. The institute is expected to complete the survey in the next six months. "We have completed the first round after digging and studying the nature of soil on city's outskirts," said ISR director-general, Dr BK Rastogi.

Rastogi said that based on the nature of the soil and the plates structure, experts will be in a position to predict the exact vulnerability of specific areas in Ahmedabad. The research will mainly decide how houses and buildings should be constructed in the city.

For undertaking the survey, borewells were dug on city's outskirts. "We've so far found that there is soil 350 m beneath the ground and underneath it, there are rocks," Rastogi said.

The institute started this survey six months back and is now halfway into it. "Once we complete digging all the wells, we'll be in a position to tell the outcome of the survey."