By Admin 
The Government of India has made a major re-evaluation of the seismic situation of the country in the new earthquake design code issued for the year 2025. The most important change this time is that the entire Himalayan region has been directly put in Zone VI, which is considered to be the highest risk area. This is the first time that the entire Himalayas have been included in a single high earthquake category. This clearly indicates that more care will have to be taken in planning future structures and cities.
According to TOI report, in India Earthquake Zoning Map 2025, about 61 percent of India’s land area is now in the range of moderate to extreme earthquake risk. This change is considered to be the biggest technological improvement compared to the last several decades, because in this, more importance has been given to the current geological situation and scientific study rather than assessment based on history.
Why was the Himalayas kept in the most dangerous zone?
New geological studies conducted on the Himalayan region show that the surface here may appear calm, but the extreme pressure inside it is constantly active. Earlier this entire area was divided into two separate zones, while scientists believed that this division did not accurately reflect the seismic reality. The new report makes it clear that the fault lines present within the Himalayas still have the potential to cause powerful earthquakes, which is why it has been included in the most dangerous category.
New category of cities situated on the border
This time a new provision has been added to the map, according to which if a city comes near the boundary of two seismic zones, then it itself will be considered in a high-grade zone. Due to this, many cities, which were earlier considered to be at low risk, have now come in the list of more sensitive areas. This change completely changes the old rules of administrative boundaries.
How was the new map prepared?
The Bureau of Indian Standards has prepared this zoning on the basis of PSHA i.e. Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment Model. Many scientific information have been used in this model, including the thickness of the earth’s layers, pressure of collision of plates, activity of fault lines, speed of waves and possible maximum earthquake. This is the reason why this new version is considered much more reliable and modern than the previous one.
Strict rules for new constructions
After the implementation of the 2025 code, it will now be mandatory for all new buildings to be built as per earthquake-resistant standards. Hospitals, schools, bridges, pipelines and other important structures will be prepared in such a way that their operations will not be disrupted even after a major earthquake. Special attention will also be given to safely fitting heavy equipment and increasing the strength of buildings.
New provision of exposure window
Earthquake risk will be assessed not only by ground activity, but also by population, economic status, building density and sensitivity of local resources. This will enable a more realistic and accurate hazard map to be prepared for every city, which will prove to be very useful in future planning.
Why is there less change in South India?
The least changes in the new zoning have been made in South India. The main reason for this is that the peninsular region is considered geologically more stable and the possibility of major earthquakes is less here. Therefore its risk category remains almost the same as before.
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