Earthquake Clinics

• 18 Nov 2022

Why In News?

• According to information received from the media on November 16, 2022, the Bihar state government has decided to open 'Earthquake Clinics' in every district of the state in order to prevent earthquakes.

Key Points

• According to the information, under this initiative, these clinics have been opened in the state capital Patna, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur.
• Significantly, earthquake tremors are coming one after the other these days. Many times there is a lot of loss of life and property due to earthquakes. To avoid damage caused by earthquakes, many types of initiatives are taken by the state governments, such as spreading awareness about safety measures among the people, etc. In this sequence, the Bihar government has decided to open earthquake clinics in every district of the state by starting this initiative.
• In these clinics, people will be told about the houses made of brick and cement to be built in such areas. Here the engineers will tell how to prepare the foundation of the house, as well as the depth of the pillar, the size of the rod and how to use it. Along with this, information about ventilation in the house will also be given. Similarly, information will also be given about keeping houses built from bamboo and grass safe.
• Many times it happens that builders mislead people by showing fear of earthquake and also do their marketing. In such a situation, the earthquake clinic will also spread awareness among the people.
• National Disaster Management Force teams at earthquake clinics warn people of its danger. They do mock drills etc. for this. Training on how to protect yourself at the time of an earthquake is also given in the earthquake clinic. Apart from this, how to build houses in earthquake-dominated areas, how to rebuild disaster-affected houses, etc. are also told in these earthquake clinics.
• An earthquake is a natural disaster that can occur anywhere, anytime. Considering the possibility of earthquakes, the areas are divided on the basis of seismic zones. Bihar has been placed under seismic zone-4. According to experts, given seismic zone 4, if an earthquake of magnitude .5 hits Bihar, the possibility of large-scale damage cannot be ruled out.