Strong Earthquake jolts Quetta, other parts of Balochistan
Staff Reporter :
A strong earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted Quetta and other parts of Balochistan on Saturday morning. The earthquake jolted Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Harnai, and other parts of the province, the Pakistan National Seismic Monitoring Centre.
The earth shook at 7:57 am in the morning and people came out of their homes to move towards open spaces. The quake had a depth of 10km with the centre of the quake being reported 38 kilometres Northeast of Quetta near Khanozai.
Quetta located in the red zone
Quetta, Pakistan’s Southwestern city is located in the red zone with regard to earthquakes. A powerful earthquake razed the entire city to the ground in 1935. Thousands of people died within 30 seconds. “Quetta and almost all parts of Balochistan are located in the danger zone”, Din Muhammad Kakar, the Chairman of Seismology and Geophysical studies the University of Balochistan told Quetta Voice.
Chiltan fault line destroyed Quetta city
Chiltan and Chaman fault lines pose a serious threat to Quetta and most parts of central and northern Balochistan, Mr Kakar mentioned. It was the Chiltan fault, which destroyed Quetta city, Dr Imran Khan, a world-fame geologist says. After the deadliest earthquake in1935, the English Rulers fixed 30 feet height for all buildings to avoid human losses in the case of any natural calamity. For some time, people followed the building code, but that is no more the case currently.
Balochistan is prone to natural disasters including earthquakes, floods and droughts because of its geographical location in the region. A powerful earthquake on October 29, 2008, in Balochistan’s Ziarat town killed around 200 people. Aftershocks followed the earthquake. “We cannot stop an earthquake, we can only take precautionary measures”, Din Muhammad Kakar said.
