Tag Archive: India


Earth Watch Report  -  Extreme Weather

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20.05.2013 Heat Wave India Capital City, New Delhi Damage level
Details

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Heat Wave in India on Monday, 20 May, 2013 at 16:19 (04:19 PM) UTC.

Description
The heat wave will continue in Delhi and others parts of the country for the next two to three days. Dusty winds will hit north and northwest India during the period. In the first heat wave (about 45 degrees Celsius or above) of the summer in the capital, continuous sunshine for long daylight hours, stretching as much as 13 hours and 36 minutes, is driving up the temperature. The temperature in Delhi this week rose to 44.6 degrees Celsius and 46.2 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjang and Palam observatories respectively. It will not be surprising if the maximum temperature rises further to 45 degrees Celsius, a level observed on 31 May last year, the second time in a decade. The May record for Delhi, however, is 47.2 degrees Celsius, seen on 29 May 1944. Delhi wasn’t the hottest place in north India. Hisar in Haryana recorded 46 degrees Celsius on Sunday, five degrees above the average record of 40.7 degrees.

In Hisar, the maximum temperature may break last year’s record of 46.4 degrees registered on 31 May in the next two days. The highest maximum temperatures ever recorded in Hissar is 48.8 degrees on 21 May 1998. Winds from the Thar desert will continue to make life uncomfortable in most parts of northwest, central and east India in the coming two days. Some respite is possible at isolated pockets over northwest India if winds become southwesterly as they contain some moisture and are a bit cooler than the westerly winds. But most of the places in the region especially over Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana will remain intense heat conditions. Hot and dry westerly winds will continue to hit central and east India in the coming two days so temperatures will remain in the mid-forties or above over interior Maharashtra. Nagpur, which registered 47.3 degrees as maximum could see a further rise in day temperature. The highest ever May temperature in Nagpur is 47.8 degrees registered on 26 May 1954. East Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas of Bihar have temperatures in lower forties.

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Delhi reels under 44.5 degrees Celsius heat, no respite in sight

 

 

NEW DELHI: The mercury’s dreaded surge into the high forties has left vast swathes of north India sweltering under a severe heat wave spread across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Churu in Rajasthan continued to sizzle for the third day, recording a blistering 48.2 degrees Celsius.

Delhi sweated under 44.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal, while Palam was the hottest in NCR at 46.2 degrees.

Met officials said there would be no respite till May 24. Even that would lower temperatures by just 1-2 degrees, after which high temperatures would return for the rest of the month, the Met office said. This would mark only the second instance of Delhi seeing such a prolonged heat wave in May in the last 10 years.

Mercury to stay high till Saturday

“The heat wave is the result of the absence of any western disturbance in Delhi and neighbouring areas, strengthening of hot northwesterly winds from the desert and subsidence of air in association with an anticyclone over Rajasthan and adjoining areas,” said O P Singh, deputy director of meteorology, Delhi Regional Meteorological Centre

“Such conditions are favourable for dust raising winds in northwest India and are likely to continue during the fourth week of May as well. There will be a small decrease in temperature during the coming weekend with the advent of a western disturbance,” Singh added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read Full Article Here

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No respite from heat for Delhi: Meteorological department

 

Watch  Video Here

 

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Natural disasters uprooted more than 32 million people in 2012

32,4 million people were forced to flee their homes last year due to natural disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes, according to a report released by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre on May 13, 2013. According to the report, 98% of those uprooted were displaced by climate- and weather-related events. Climate change is believed to play an increasingly significant role in global disasters. 2012 Special Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated that, “disasters associated with climate extremes influence population mobility and relocation, affecting host and origin communities.”

This map shows internal displacement worldwide in 2012 by state and number of displaced people. CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW (Credit: NRC/IDMC)

Floods in India and Nigeria were responsible for 41 % of displacement worldwide last year. Monsoon floods in India uprooted about 6.9 million people, while in Nigeria some 6.1 million were newly displaced. While Asia and Africa were hardest affected, some 1.3 million people were displaced in wealthy nations, especially the United States. Last year, the U.S. was among the 10 countries that experienced the most new displacement. Following Hurricane Sandy, most of those displaced were able to find refuge in adequate temporary shelter while displaced from their own homes.

The largest regional increase in the number of internally displaced people in 2012 was in the Middle East and North Africa, where 2.5 million people were forced to flee their homes. There were almost 6 million affected in the region at the end of 2012, a rise of 40 % on the 2011. Asia showed the second highest increase in new displacement after the Middle East and North Africa, with 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes during 2012.

 Read Full Article Here

Earth Watch Report  -  Earthquakes

 photo India-2EQsMay14th2013_zps7ec9e41f.jpg

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M4.2 – 17km S of Kishtwar, India 2013-05-14 19:58:25 UTC

 

Earthquake location 33.156°N, 75.780°E

Event Time

  1. 2013-05-14 19:58:25 UTC
  2. 2013-05-15 01:28:25 UTC+05:30 at epicenter
  3. 2013-05-14 14:58:25 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

33.156°N 75.780°E depth=50.6km (31.4mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 17km (11mi) S of Kishtwar, India
  2. 20km (12mi) E of Doda, India
  3. 20km (12mi) NNE of Bhadarwah, India
  4. 65km (40mi) ENE of Udhampur, India
  5. 262km (163mi) ESE of Islamabad, Pakistan

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M4.7 – 19km SSE of Kishtwar, India 2013-05-14 20:00:02 UTC

 

Earthquake location 33.154°N, 75.837°E

Event Time

  1. 2013-05-14 20:00:02 UTC
  2. 2013-05-15 01:30:02 UTC+05:30 at epicenter
  3. 2013-05-14 15:00:02 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

33.154°N 75.837°E depth=10.9km (6.8mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 19km (12mi) SSE of Kishtwar, India
  2. 22km (14mi) NNE of Bhadarwah, India
  3. 25km (16mi) E of Doda, India
  4. 70km (43mi) ENE of Udhampur, India
  5. 267km (166mi) ESE of Islamabad, Pakistan

 

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Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity

Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.

The India-Eurasia plate boundary is a diffuse boundary, which in the region near the north of India, lies within the limits of the Indus-Tsangpo (also called the Yarlung-Zangbo) Suture to the north and the Main Frontal Thrust to the south. The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is located roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. The narrow (<200km) Himalaya Front includes numerous east-west trending, parallel structures. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults. Examples of significant earthquakes, in this densely populated region, caused by reverse slip movement include the 1934 M8.1 Bihar, the 1905 M7.5 Kangra and the 2005 M7.6 Kashmir earthquakes. The latter two resulted in the highest death tolls for Himalaya earthquakes seen to date, together killing over 100,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The largest instrumentally recorded Himalaya earthquake occurred on 15th August 1950 in Assam, eastern India. This M8.6 right-lateral, strike-slip, earthquake was widely felt over a broad area of central Asia, causing extensive damage to villages in the epicentral region.

The Tibetan Plateau is situated north of the Himalaya, stretching approximately 1000km north-south and 2500km east-west, and is geologically and tectonically complex with several sutures which are hundreds of kilometer-long and generally trend east-west. The Tibetan Plateau is cut by a number of large (>1000km) east-west trending, left-lateral, strike-slip faults, including the long Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh. Right-lateral, strike-slip faults (comparable in size to the left-lateral faults), in this region include the Karakorum, Red River, and Sagaing. Secondary north-south trending normal faults also cut the Tibetan Plateau. Thrust faults are found towards the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau. Collectively, these faults accommodate crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates, with thrust faults accommodating north south compression, and normal and strike-slip accommodating east-west extension.

Along the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, in the vicinity of south-eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, the India plate translates obliquely relative to the Eurasia plate, resulting in a complex fold-and-thrust belt known as the Sulaiman Range. Faulting in this region includes strike-slip, reverse-slip and oblique-slip motion and often results in shallow, destructive earthquakes. The active, left-lateral, strike-slip Chaman fault is the fastest moving fault in the region. In 1505, a segment of the Chaman fault near Kabul, Afghanistan, ruptured causing widespread destruction. In the same region the more recent 30 May 1935, M7.6 Quetta earthquake, which occurred in the Sulaiman Range in Pakistan, killed between 30,000 and 60,000 people.

On the north-western side of the Tibetan Plateau, beneath the Pamir-Hindu Kush Mountains of northern Afghanistan, earthquakes occur at depths as great as 200 km as a result of remnant lithospheric subduction. The curved arc of deep earthquakes found in the Hindu Kush Pamir region indicates the presence of a lithospheric body at depth, thought to be remnants of a subducting slab. Cross-sections through the Hindu Kush region suggest a near vertical northerly-dipping subducting slab, whereas cross-sections through the nearby Pamir region to the east indicate a much shallower dipping, southerly subducting slab. Some models suggest the presence of two subduction zones; with the Indian plate being subducted beneath the Hindu Kush region and the Eurasian plate being subducted beneath the Pamir region. However, other models suggest that just one of the two plates is being subducted and that the slab has become contorted and overturned in places.

Shallow crustal earthquakes also occur in this region near the Main Pamir Thrust and other active Quaternary faults. The Main Pamir Thrust, north of the Pamir Mountains, is an active shortening structure. The northern portion of the Main Pamir Thrust produces many shallow earthquakes, whereas its western and eastern borders display a combination of thrust and strike-slip mechanisms. On the 18 February 1911, the M7.4 Sarez earthquake ruptured in the Central Pamir Mountains, killing numerous people and triggering a landside, which blocked the Murghab River.

Further north, the Tian Shan is a seismically active intra-continental mountain belt, which extends 2500 km in an ENE-WNW orientation north of the Tarim Basin. This belt is defined by numerous east-west trending thrust faults, creating a compressional basin and range landscape. It is generally thought that regional stresses associated with the collision of the India and Eurasia plates are responsible for faulting in the region. The region has had three major earthquakes (>M7.6) at the start of the 20th Century, including the 1902 Atushi earthquake, which killed an estimated 5,000 people. The range is cut through in the west by the 700-km-long, northwest-southeast striking, Talas-Ferghana active right-lateral, strike-slip fault system. Though the system has produced no major earthquakes in the last 250 years, paleo-seismic studies indicate that it has the potential to produce M7.0+ earthquakes and it is thought to represent a significant hazard.

The northern portion of the Tibetan Plateau itself is largely dominated by the motion on three large left-lateral, strike-slip fault systems; the Altyn Tagh, Kunlun and Haiyuan. The Altyn Tagh fault is the longest of these strike slip faults and it is thought to accommodate a significant portion of plate convergence. However, this system has not experienced significant historical earthquakes, though paleoseismic studies show evidence of prehistoric M7.0-8.0 events. Thrust faults link with the Altyn Tagh at its eastern and western termini. The Kunlun Fault, south of the Altyn Tagh, is seismically active, producing large earthquakes such as the 8th November 1997, M7.6 Manyi earthquake and the 14th November 2001, M7.8 Kokoxili earthquake. The Haiyuan Fault, in the far north-east, generated the 16 December 1920, M7.8 earthquake that killed approximately 200,000 people and the 22 May 1927 M7.6 earthquake that killed 40,912.

The Longmen Shan thrust belt, along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is an important structural feature and forms a transitional zone between the complexly deformed Songpan-Garze Fold Belt and the relatively undeformed Sichuan Basin. On 12 May 2008, the thrust belt produced the reverse slip, M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, killing over 87,000 people and causing billions of US dollars in damages and landslides which dammed several rivers and lakes.

Southeast of the Tibetan Plateau are the right-lateral, strike-slip Red River and the left-lateral, strike-slip Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang fault systems. The Red River Fault experienced large scale, left-lateral ductile shear during the Tertiary period before changing to its present day right-lateral slip rate of approximately 5 mm/yr. This fault has produced several earthquakes >M6.0 including the 4 January 1970, M7.5 earthquake in Tonghai which killed over 10,000 people. Since the start of the 20th century, the Xiangshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system has generated several M7.0+ earthquakes including the M7.5 Luhuo earthquake which ruptured on the 22 April 1973. Some studies suggest that due to the high slip rate on this fault, future large earthquakes are highly possible along the 65km stretch between Daofu and Qianning and the 135km stretch that runs through Kangding.

Shallow earthquakes within the Indo-Burmese Arc, predominantly occur on a combination of strike-slip and reverse faults, including the Sagaing, Kabaw and Dauki faults. Between 1930 and 1956, six M7.0+ earthquakes occurred near the right-lateral Sagaing Fault, resulting in severe damage in Myanmar including the generation of landslides, liquefaction and the loss of 610 lives. Deep earthquakes (200km) have also been known to occur in this region, these are thought to be due to the subduction of the eastwards dipping, India plate, though whether subduction is currently active is debated. Within the pre-instrumental period, the large Shillong earthquake occurred on the 12 June 1897, causing widespread destruction.

 

 

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THE WATCHERS

WATCHING THE WORLD EVOLVE AND TRANSFORM

Tropical Cyclone Mahasen (01B) is now centered several hundred miles south of Kolkata, India, and will impact areas from northeastern India to Bangladesh and Myanmar over the next few days. The system is about to enter  into an area of warm sea surface temperatures and lower wind shear which will intensified the cyclone and give it opportunity to become even better organized. Landfall is expected to occur on May 16, 2013 with most forecast models putting the path between Chittagong (Bangladesh) and Maungdaw (Myanmar).

On May 13, 2013 the Suomi NPP satellite caught an interesting glimpse of the storm as it moved off the eastern coast of India. The VIIRS Day-Night Band was able to resolve lightning flashes towards the center of the storm, along with mesopheric gravity waves emanating outwards like ripples in a pond. These gravity waves are of particular interest to air traffic controllers so assist in identifying areas of turbulence. (Credit: NOAA/NASA/VIIRS)

TC Mahasen will bring life-threatening conditions to millions of people from northeastern India and into Bangladesh and Myanmar. Due the low elevations of this region (mostly shallower than 200 meters), flooding, mudslides and storm surge present the greatest threats. These areas have been hit by some of the deadliest cyclones across the globe.

According to GDACS, up to 22.3 million people people can be affected by wind speeds of tropical storm strength or above. In addition, 4.1 million people people are living in coastal areas below 5m and can therefore be affected by storm surge.

The highest impact, surge and rainfall predictions are for the Chittagong and Cox’s Bazaar areas of Bangladesh but there are serious concerns for Rakhine State where there are more than 140,000 IDPs. (Credit: OCHA/ReliefWeb)

Torrential rains caused floods and landslides across Sri Lanka, which are responsible for seven reported deaths. Several overcrowded boats carrying hundreds of evacuees capsized off the coast of western Myanmar after the lead boat crashed into rocks and more than 50 people are feared dead. Myanmar state television reported Monday that 5,158 people were relocated from low-lying camps in Rakhine state to safer shelters. But far more people are considered vulnerable.

Bathymetry of the Bay of Bengal (Credit: Geomap/MGDS)

Storm surge prediction model (Credit: IMD)

According to latest report by Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), TC Mahasen is located approximately 246 nm southward of Calcutta, India. The system is moving north-northeastward at speed of 12 knots. Upper level analysis indicates an anticyclone to the east of the system continues to move into better vertical alignment with the low level circulation center, leading to a decrease in vertical wind shear to low levels (10 knots).

Read Full Report  Here

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Rohingya women reinforce their tents at the Ohnedaw Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp on the outskirts of Sittwe on May 15, 2013, as Cyclone Mahasen heads towards landfall. Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar were ordered to evacuate Wednesday as a cyclone bore down on coastal areas home to flood-prone refugee camps for victims of sectarian unrest. Soe Than WIN/AFP/Getty Images

Bangladeshi marine sailors stand on the banks of the Bay of Bengal sea, as they prepare for the coming of tropical cyclone Mahasen, in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. People living in coastal areas in Bangladesh and Myanmar are being evacuated as cyclone Mahasen appears to make landfall late Thursday or early Friday, according to news reports. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)

See Additional Photos Here

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Tropical Storm in Bangladesh on Thursday, 16 May, 2013 at 08:40 (08:40 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Thursday, 16 May, 2013 at 11:38 UTC
Description
Cyclone Mahasen has struck the southern coast of Bangladesh, lashing remote fishing villages with heavy rain and fierce winds that flattened mud and straw huts and forced the evacuation of more than 1 million people. The main section of the storm reached land on Thursday and immediately began weakening, according to Mohammad Shah Alam, director of the Bangladesh meteorological department. However, its forward movement was also slowing, meaning that towns in its path would have to weather the storm for longer, he said. Even before the brunt of the storm hit, at least 18 deaths related to Mahasen were reported in Bangladesh, Burma and Sri Lanka. The storm could bring life-threatening conditions to about 8.2 million people in Bangladesh, Burma and north-east India, according to the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Danger was particularly high for tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya people living in plastic-roofed tents and huts made of reeds in dozens of refugee camps along Burma’s western coast.

Driven from their homes by violence, members of the Muslim minority group refused to follow evacuation orders. Many distrust officials in the majority-Buddhist country, where Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination. UN officials, hoping they would inspire greater trust, fanned out across the area to encourage people to leave. Early on Thursday, the cyclone battered the southern Bangladesh fishing village of Khepurpara along the Bay of Bengal with 62mph (100km/h) winds and was heading east toward the city of Chittagong and the seafront resort town of Cox’s Bazar. River ferries and boat services were suspended, and scores of factories near the Bay of Bengal were closed. The military said it was keeping 22 navy ships and 19 air force helicopters on alert. Tens of thousands of people fled their shanty homes along the coast and packed into cyclone shelters, schools, government office buildings and some of the 300 hotels in Cox’s Bazar to wait out the storm. Some brought their livestock, which took shelter outside.

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Tropical Cyclone Mahasen targets India, Bangladesh, Myanmar

Tropical Cyclone Mahasen (TC 01B) is getting better organized. Winds are predicted to increase to hurricane force as the system moves further northward into the Bay of Bengal. TC Mahasen is now located east-nort​heast of Sri Lanka and is expected to impact areas from northeast India to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

According to latest report by Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), TC Mahasen is located approximately 721 nm southward of Calcutta, India. The system is moving north-northwestward at speed of 6 knots. Maximum sustainable winds are 55 knots with gusts up to 70 knots.

Indian Ocean IR satellite image of the system on May 12, 2013 (Credit: METEOSAT-7/CIMSS)

The cyclone is beginning to round the western edge of the subtropical ridge to the east. It is expected to slow down over the next 24 hours as it makes the turn before recurving northeastward on the poleward side of the ridge axis. TC Mahasen will gradually intensify as the vertical wind shear relaxes along the ridge axis. Additionally, the poleward outflow is expected to open up as the system becomes exposed to the prevailing westerlies.

Animated infrared satellite imagery shows the system has regained a central dense overcast feature that has, once again, obscured the low level circulation center. Upper level analysis indicates the system is 7 degrees south of the ridge axis in an area of moderate (20 knot) easterly vertical wind shear. However, the vertical wind shear is offset by robust westward outflow.

After the next 72 hours, TC Mahasen will gradually weaken as vertical wind shear increases before making landfall near Chittagong, Bangladesh. Land interaction will rapidly erode and dissipate the system.

​TC Mahasen forecast track (Source: JTWC)

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), under the influence of this system, rainfall at many places with isolated heavy rainfall would occur over Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next 48 hours. Squally winds speed reaching 40-45 km/h gusting to 60 km/h would prevail along Andaman and Nicobar Islands during next 48 hours. Sea condition will be rough to very rough along and off Andaman and Nicobar Islands during this period.

 

Read Full Article Here

Earth Watch Report  -  Hailstorm

09.05.2013 Hailstorm India State of Mizoram, [Mizoram-wide] Damage level Details

Hailstorm in India on Thursday, 09 May, 2013 at 13:06 (01:06 PM) UTC.

Description
Over 200 houses, especially tin- roofed and those with asbestos walls, were damaged in rain and hailstorm in different areas of Kolasib district in Mizoram, official sources said today. Sixty-three houses were damaged in Kolasib town and 100 others in nearby Thingdawl village in the rain and hailstorm yesterday, the sources said. Around 40 houses were also damaged in Bukpui village along the Serkhan-Bagha road and three houses were damaged in Sethawn village, they said. Several landslides, which occurred due to rains, also blocked a number of roads in Kolasib town, they said.

Eight killed, many injured; large damage in weather fury in Tripura, Mizoram

Friday – May 10, 2013, 04:13pm (GMT+5.5) 

IndiaVision NEWS

Agartala/Aizawl – Seasonal cyclonic storms accompanied by lightning and rain continued to create devastation in Tripura and Mizoram for the sixth day Friday, killing eight people so far injuring 40 others, an official said here.

Several thousand houses have been damaged in the cyclonic storms accompanied by lightning and incessant rains that also uprooted thousands of trees, telephone and electric poles both in Tripura and Mizoram.

Restoration work was on in both the northeastern states.

“Since Sunday, eight people, including five women, were killed in different parts of Tripura in house collapse and lightning. Over 40 people injured some of them seriously in these weather furies,” an official of the Tripura relief department told IANS.

“Sixty-year-old Ramani Debbarma and her 17-year-old-son Utpal died when huge landslides buried their home at Simna in western Tripura Wednesday night. Their bodies have been recovered late Thursday night,” he added.

The first nonstop rains in the pre-monsoon period also caused flooding and huge waterlogging in the low-lying areas of capital Agartala, its outskirts and other parts of Tripura. Several thousand people were forced to move to several makeshift relief camps.

The Tripura government has sanctioned from Rs.1,000 to Rs.10,000 as immediate relief assistance to each affected family.

Earth Watch Report -  Extreme  Weather

Heat Wave photo HeatWave_zps241ea81b.jpg

01.05.2013 Heat Wave India State of Maharashtra, [Maharashtra-wide] Damage level Details

Heat Wave in India on Wednesday, 01 May, 2013 at 10:40 (10:40 AM) UTC.

Description
Temperatures in north Maharashtra soared to a high of 44 degree Celsius with Jalgaon district topping the mercury chart in the region. The region has been reeling under high heat wave conditions for a week after mercury crossed the 40 degree mark in Nashik yesterday forcing people to stay indoors, according to meteorological sources here. Other areas including Malegaon and Nandurbar also recorded 42 and 40 degree Celsius respectively, sources said.

Earth Watch Report  -  Earthquakes

 photo India2EQsMay1st2013_zps909633b2.jpg

5.4 17km NE of Bhadarwah, India 2013-05-01 06:57:12 33.100°N 75.838°E 9.8

M5.4 – 17km NE of Bhadarwah, India 2013-05-01 06:57:12 UTC

Earthquake location 33.100°N, 75.838°E

Event Time

  1. 2013-05-01 06:57:12 UTC
  2. 2013-05-01 12:27:12 UTC+05:30 at epicenter
  3. 2013-05-01 01:57:12 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

33.100°N 75.838°E depth=9.8km (6.1mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 17km (11mi) NE of Bhadarwah, India
  2. 24km (15mi) SSE of Kishtwar, India
  3. 25km (16mi) E of Doda, India
  4. 65km (40mi) NNW of Chamba, India
  5. 268km (167mi) ESE of Islamabad, Pakistan

Instrumental Intensity

ShakeMap Intensity Image

4.6 6km N of Bhadarwah, India 2013-05-01 09:19:46 33.043°N 75.716°E 10.0

M4.6 – 6km N of Bhadarwah, India 2013-05-01 09:19:46 UTC

Earthquake location 33.043°N, 75.716°E

Event Time

  1. 2013-05-01 09:19:46 UTC
  2. 2013-05-01 14:49:46 UTC+05:30 at epicenter
  3. 2013-05-01 04:19:46 UTC-05:00 system time

Location

33.043°N 75.716°E depth=10.0km (6.2mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 6km (4mi) N of Bhadarwah, India
  2. 17km (11mi) SE of Doda, India
  3. 30km (19mi) S of Kishtwar, India
  4. 55km (34mi) ENE of Udhampur, India
  5. 259km (161mi) ESE of Islamabad, Pakistan

Tectonic Summary

Seismotectonics of the Himalaya and Vicinity

Seismicity in the Himalaya dominantly results from the continental collision of the India and Eurasia plates, which are converging at a relative rate of 40-50 mm/yr. Northward underthrusting of India beneath Eurasia generates numerous earthquakes and consequently makes this area one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth. The surface expression of the plate boundary is marked by the foothills of the north-south trending Sulaiman Range in the west, the Indo-Burmese Arc in the east and the east-west trending Himalaya Front in the north of India.

The India-Eurasia plate boundary is a diffuse boundary, which in the region near the north of India, lies within the limits of the Indus-Tsangpo (also called the Yarlung-Zangbo) Suture to the north and the Main Frontal Thrust to the south. The Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is located roughly 200 km north of the Himalaya Front and is defined by an exposed ophiolite chain along its southern margin. The narrow (<200km) Himalaya Front includes numerous east-west trending, parallel structures. This region has the highest rates of seismicity and largest earthquakes in the Himalaya region, caused mainly by movement on thrust faults. Examples of significant earthquakes, in this densely populated region, caused by reverse slip movement include the 1934 M8.1 Bihar, the 1905 M7.5 Kangra and the 2005 M7.6 Kashmir earthquakes. The latter two resulted in the highest death tolls for Himalaya earthquakes seen to date, together killing over 100,000 people and leaving millions homeless. The largest instrumentally recorded Himalaya earthquake occurred on 15th August 1950 in Assam, eastern India. This M8.6 right-lateral, strike-slip, earthquake was widely felt over a broad area of central Asia, causing extensive damage to villages in the epicentral region.

The Tibetan Plateau is situated north of the Himalaya, stretching approximately 1000km north-south and 2500km east-west, and is geologically and tectonically complex with several sutures which are hundreds of kilometer-long and generally trend east-west. The Tibetan Plateau is cut by a number of large (>1000km) east-west trending, left-lateral, strike-slip faults, including the long Kunlun, Haiyuan, and the Altyn Tagh. Right-lateral, strike-slip faults (comparable in size to the left-lateral faults), in this region include the Karakorum, Red River, and Sagaing. Secondary north-south trending normal faults also cut the Tibetan Plateau. Thrust faults are found towards the north and south of the Tibetan Plateau. Collectively, these faults accommodate crustal shortening associated with the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates, with thrust faults accommodating north south compression, and normal and strike-slip accommodating east-west extension.

 

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Moderate quake kills 1 in eastern Kashmir

UPDATED 1:32 PM CDT May 01, 2013

(CNN) —A 5.8-magnitude earthquake killed one person and injured 59 others in Indian-administered Kashmir on Wednesday, a government statement said.

The earthquake also damaged scores of private and government buildings, particularly in the three mountainous districts of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban closer to the epicenter, which was on the border with the eastern neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the moderate quake’s magnitude at 5.7. It said its epicenter was 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) northeast of Bhadarwah, India, and took place nine kilometers (5.6 miles) underground.

The government statement said a senior official is supervising the rescue and relief operation and reaching out to victims. A critically injured victim has been flown to the main city of Jammu for specialized treatment.

Read Full Article  Here

 

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Technological Disasters

 

 

A portion of the women's ward of the two-storeyed Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal collapsed

A portion of the women’s ward of the two-storeyed Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal collapsed

27.04.2013 Technological Disaster India State of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal Damage level Details

Technological Disaster in India on Saturday, 27 April, 2013 at 03:46 (03:46 AM) UTC.

Description
Two people died when a wing of a government-run hospital in Bhopal in central India collapsed Friday evening, police said. “The incident took place at 5:30 p.m. (1200 GMT) when the ceiling of the first floor of the hospital collapsed,” said Upendra Kumar Jain, the Inspector General of Police in Bhopal. “It is a decades old building” and the section of the edifice that collapsed was undergoing building work, he said. Twenty five were rescued and admitted to a nearby hospital. Others, including patients and hospital staff, were still trapped inside, he said. The two dead were hospital attendants. Buildings collapse regularly in South Asia due to poor construction materials and lax oversight by authorities.

 

Horror as hospital wing collapses in Bhopal leaving 15 people trapped

 

  • Fifteen others rescued after ceiling caved in at hospital in Bhopal
  • Dozens believed to be on first floor of women’s ward when it collapsed
  • Comes weeks after 72 died in apartment block caved in near Mumbai

By Sam Adams

 

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Part of a hospital building has collapsed in central India leaving as many as 15 people trapped in the debris.

Mayor Krishna Gaur said 15 other people had been rescued from the crumbled portion of the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state today.

Police officer Upendra Jain said 25 to 30 people were believed to be on the first floor of the women’s medical ward when its ceiling crashed down. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Disaster: Up to 15 people are feared to be trapped after part of Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal collapsed today

Disaster: Up to 15 people are feared to be trapped after part of Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Bhopal collapsed today

 

Fears: Rescue workers scramble over the debris to help drag survivors from the rubble after the hospital's female wing collapsed

Fears: Rescue workers scramble over the debris to help drag survivors from the rubble after the hospital’s female wing collapsed

 

Earth Watch Report  -  Extreme Weather

West Bengal storm kills eight

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18.04.2013 Extreme Weather India State of West Bengal, [Kolkata region] Damage level Details

Extreme Weather in India on Thursday, 18 April, 2013 at 16:51 (04:51 PM) UTC.

Description
At least eight people were killed in the storm that lashed parts of West Bengal on Wednesday evening, an official said here on Thursday. While three deaths were reported from the state capital Kolkata and adjoining districts Wednesday, five more deaths were reported from other parts of the state Thursday. The state government has announced a compensation of Rs.200,000 to the victims’ next of kin, an official said. The storm lashed Kolkata and other districts with a maximum wind speed of 116 km per hour, disrupting normal life as road, rail and air services were badly hit. Locally known as Nor’wester, the storm also uprooted hundreds of trees. A number of wall collapse incidents were reported from various parts of the city and the state.

 

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