The Earth appears not to be in a great mood lately.The past six months have offered a harsh reminder of how unpredictable the planet can be. Since April, a deadly chain of earthquakes has struck worldwide. It started with 12 people dying in Afghanistan in April, followed by a quake in the Philippines in June that killed at least 81 people. Then a massive double-quake struck Venezuela, leaving more than 6,000 dead. In July, Japan lost 39 lives. In August, earthquakes killed about 290 in Colombia and at least 51 in Indonesia, with the tolls still rising. India is not immune to this threat.

The 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Kutch killed over 13,800 people, and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake claimed over 1,350 lives. Large swathes of the country, particularly the Himalayan region, the North-East, and Kutch, remain at very high risk for major seismic events. During earthquakes, weak buildings can become death traps. The government must immediately order strict, mandatory safety audits for all existing public buildings, hospitals, schools, and crowded apartment blocks, while ensuring that new construction complies with crucial seismic codes like IS 1893.

These results must be shared transparently, and vulnerable structures must be retrofitted. Japan’s 1981 New Seismic Design Code introduced stricter earthquake safety standards. Buildings had to withstand moderate earthquakes with limited damage and avoid collapse during stronger ones. The 1995 Kobe earthquake demonstrated the difference: 97 per cent of collapsed buildings had been built before 1981. Japan has also retrofitted old buildings by strengthening foundations and walls or installing seismic damping systems.

Turkey has run large-scale retrofitting programmes in Istanbul, including schools,........

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