It all boils down to comprehending the fact that a natural calamity is unforeseen. There is no doubt that it causes massive destruction, but certain vital safety precautions may be implemented. Earthquakes hit Syria and Turkey holds a big lesson for India. The tragedy in those two countries might have been less severe if authorities in impacted areas had not allowed poor construction and rampant code violations. At present a similar situation is happening in India as Joshimath is sinking and many houses have developed cracks so far. 

Parts of the Indian peninsula are located in a seismically active zone where the Indian and Eurasian plates collide. Around 59% of India is vulnerable to earthquakes of varying magnitudes, with 11% in Zone V (Kashmir Valley, western Himachal, eastern Uttarakhand, the Northeast, and the Rann of Kutch), 18% in Zone IV (Delhi, sections of Maharashtra, Haryana, UP, Bengal, and Bihar), and 30% in Zone III (Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, parts of MP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh).

Understanding about NBC:

The National Building Code (NBC) is a comprehensive building code that gives standards for building construction. There are several aspects that influence whether or not the construction should take place.

It is not that India lacks earthquake-resistant building standards. The 2016 National Building Code (NBC) includes provisions on earthquake-resistant design and construction. However, there is no law making NBC into action. In Delhi an estimated 90% of buildings are at risk of collapsing in case of a strong earthquake. MCD created a safety audit policy to protect structures from earthquakes in 2019. However, this did not take off since the onus of performing and funding the audit was imposed on the public.

Greater public knowledge of NBC norms is required to increase voluntary compliance. Towns should be pushed to make NBC recommendations mandatory in their construction codes. 

Sources: Click Here