Gurgaon on Monday became the first city in Delhi/NCR to be equipped with an earthquake early-warning system, designed to detect seismic waves and blare a warning precious seconds before the tremors strike.
Haryana Finance and Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Capt Abhimanyu inaugurated the system.
The ‘Onsite Early Earthquake Warning System’ has been installed at Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA). The system is designed to warn 30 seconds prior to an earthquake if its frequency is more than 5 on the Richter scale.
According to director general of HIPA, SP Gupta, the system is capable of detecting ‘primary’ waves of an earthquake, post which it shuts off the power supply to elevators. The technology alerts as soon as the primary waves are detected, so that the people get some time before the secondary waves, which we experience as the earthquake, hit the area. The system costs about Rs 38 lakh.
Speaking on the occasion, Capt Abhimanyu said that though 30 seconds seemed like too less a time to react, it was enough to save lives during an earthquake.
“Gurgaon lies in seismic zone 4 and this technology is crucial for us,” he added.
Director general of HIPA, SP Gupta, said that 26 countries in the world have adopted this technology of early-earthquake warning system.
