The Rajasthan capital is at risk of being hit by an earthquake in the near future due to the increasing density of population and mushrooming of building complexes, a top official of the Geological Survey of India warned Tuesday.
The density of population and mushrooming of building complexes posed a serious threat to the Pink City as they were pushing it into the category of a high-intensity sesmic zone, R S Goyal, Deputy Director General of GSI, told a press conference.
He alleged people were thronging the city due to its proximity to the national capital and that town-planners were neglecting all precautionary measures to ensure that structures were quake-resistant.
Further, Goyal accused government departments like the Jaipur Development Authority and municipal authorities of not adopting scientific measures while erecting multi-storey buildings.
Goyal said the GSI was willing to undertake seismic studies for the private and government sector anywhere in Rajasthan, but no one was willing to use its services.
Barmer, Jalore, and Alwar districts of Rajasthan fall in the catoegory of high damage risk zone, while Bikaner, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur and Bharatpur were in the moderate damage risk zone, he said.
GSI plans to install a seismograph in Jaipur to monitor any activity related to earthquakes, he said.
Goyal and his six-member team had prepared a tectonic map of India in 2001. GSI has completed seismic studies in Ahmedabad and Jamnagar, and will conduct a similar study in Delhi as it is in a "high risk" zone.
