The recent earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand, killing over 3,600 people, was of 7.7 magnitude. Seismic activity in our neighbourhood, along with warnings from domain experts, should have woken up those who matter; they should be working on a plan of action for a future contingency. But, alas, that is not the case. Our political masters are not paying much attention to the grave threat.

A great deal of information is already known about earthquake risk in India. As per the current seismic zone map of the country, over 59 per cent of India’s land area is under threat of moderate to severe seismic hazard, says the website of the Prime Minister-headed National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). In fact, the entire Himalayan belt is considered prone to great earthquakes of magnitude exceeding 8, it adds. “Scientific publications have warned of the likelihood of the occurrence of very severe earthquakes in the Himalayan region, which could adversely affect the lives of several million people in India."

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority is also unequivocal in its warning to the authorities and people of the national capital: “The city’s settlement pattern has never been viewed in........

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