Mumbai: Earthquake of 4.4 magnitude jolts Palghar, Maharashtra

On Friday morning around 11.30, an earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale appeared in Dhundelwadi area of Palghar district in Maharashtra.

Following the earthquake, the district administration has put all the government machinery on high alert.

For the past few months, Jawahar, Dhundalwadi and other areas in Palghar district have been a hotbed of seismic activity. 

The region has witnessed earthquakes in the range of 3.3 to 4.1 on the Richter scale in the past several days. 

On March 1 the earthquake’s intensity was 4.4 on Richter scale confirmed Palghar district collector Dr. Prashant Narnaware.

“All our officials and I are on the spot and have put the entire administration on high alert.  Even ambulances have been dispatched to the spot,” said Narnaware. 

“Our education officers are also visiting schools to pacify school children that there is nothing to worry about,” he added. 

There are a 25-30 public and private school in the area.

Since November Palghar district have been experiencing earthquake tremors and on January 13 a monitoring center was set up in the district collector office after a visit by NGRI (National geophysical research center). 

“Scientists from NGRI, our disaster management officials are working together closely monitoring the situation,” he said. 

He also said that an earthquake with an intensity of five and above is alarming. 

The intensity of the earthquake have kept increasing since November till now.

The seismic activity in Palghar is nothing new as it falls under seismic zone 3.

On September 4, 2012, the residents of Jawahar in Palghar had heard rumbling noises which were then investigated by experts from IIT Bombay.

“The entire West Coast plain from north of Mumbai down to Kanyakumari in the south falls in the seismic zone 3.  Which means that earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 to 6.5 are possible anytime at any place along the western coastal plain. Jawhar and Murbad fall in this zone,” said Dr. V Subramanyan, a retired geologist from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology), Mumbai. 

He has also done an integrated study for Maharashtra government along with a team of BARC (Bhabha atomic research center) scientists and IIG (Indian Institute of Geomagnetism) in 2000 for five years.