DISASTER MANAGEMENT & MITIGATION

A REPORT ON

GUJRAT, INDIA
BHUJ, EARTHQUAKE JANUARY 26, 2001

SMITA

R. P A T L E

2ND SEM, M. ARCH

IDEAS, NAGPUR
2016

GUJRAT BHUJ, EARTHQUAKE 26TH JANUARY 2001

Summary
The 2001 Bhuj earthquake has been a major turning point in India towards agenda of
seismic risk reduction. The earthquake caused attitudinal changes at all levels: public,
government, leadership, and Professional engineers. A number of new activities and
initiatives have been possible due to enhanced level of awareness and interest caused by
this earthquake. Several proactive measures are being initiated by the government of India
towards risk mitigation and several states are now taking more interest in Disaster
management. It remains to be seen how much of this will actually translate into safer built
environment. In general, where adequate preparation and capacity existed priory, more
effective mitigation activities could emerge in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Table of Contents
Summary

1. Introduction

What is Earthquake

2. Causes of disaster

Tectonic setting ( natural cause)

Earthquake Parameters

3. Vulnerability of the Region

4. History of the Region

5. The Disaster & Immediate Response

a. Evacuation & Immediate response

b. Initiatives by Government of India
c. Role of the Armed forces

7
8
8

6. a. Relief Operations
b. Rehabilitations Plans
c. Management of Earthquake

9
10
12

7. Photos of Earthquake

13

8. Result of Risk management

20

9. Critical Analysis

21

Reference

1. Introduction
A Mw 7.7 earthquake struck the Kachchh region of Gujarat state in western India at
8.46 a.m. on January 26, 2001. This was the most damaging earthquake in India in the Last fifty
Years. Over 20,000 persons are reported deaths and over 167,000 injured. The estimated loss due
to this quake is placed at around US$5 billion. The earthquake was felt in most of the parts of the
country, strongly by the people in multistory buildings in Mumbai 570 km and as far away as
Kolkata, 1900 km to the east. The entire Kachchh region of Gujarat was extensively damaged, and
several towns and large villages, Like Bhuj, Anjaar, Vondh and Bhachau, sustained widespread
destruction. Numerous recently built multi-story reinforced concrete frame buildings collapsed
Gandhidham and Bhuj in the kachchh region, and in the more distant towns of Morbi~125km,
Rajkot~150km and Ahemedabad~225km. At least one multistory Building at Surat~340km
collapsed with accompanying casualties.

What is EARTHQUAKE?
Earthquake refers to the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that
creates seismic waves. It may also refer to sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes
causing great destruction.

2. CAUSES OF DISASTER

Tectonic setting (Natural causes)

The tectonic setting of the Kachchh is not well understood. It has been characterized as a
stable continental region (SCR), but its proximity to Himalayan front and the other active geologic
structures suggests that it may be transitional between a SCR and the plate boundary.
The resolution of this issue would be important for full understanding of the geologic,
seismologic and ground motion implications of the earthquake. As shown on the regional map in
Figure 1, the Indian subcontinent is moving northward at a rate of approximately 53 to 63 mm/yr,
colliding with the Asian plate, which is also moving northward, but at about half the rate of the
Indian plate. The difference between the relative plate velocities produces an intercontinental
collision forming the Himalayan Mountains and driving the Eastward and westward movement of
large crustal blocks away from the Himalayan orogen.
The rate of contraction across the Himalayan Frontal Fault System (HFFS), and along the
western boundary of the plate near the India/Pakistan border is approximately 20 to 25 mm/yr. The
rate of contraction across peninsular India south of the plate margin is about 3 +mm/yr.
The January 26th earthquake occurred less than 400 km from the junction of the Owens
fracture zone, Makran subduction zone, the western most HFFS, and the Chaman fault, which
form the plate boundary. Indian addition, the Kachchh region is bounded by the Quartery active
Khambat graben to the east. Within the Kachchh region , major structural features include easttrending folds and faults that deform Mesozoic, Tertiary, and possibly Quaternary units.
The principal faults are the east-trending Katrol Hills, Kachchh Mainland, Island Belt and
Allah Bund Faults, the latter being the source of the M 7.8 1819 Kachchh Earthquake. The
January 26th earthquake appears to have occurred at depth beneath the eastern Kachchh Mainland
Fault. A series of anticlines occurs along the Mainland fault for over 220 km. This fold belt may
have uplifted Quaternary fluvial terraces on its north flank and terraces on its north flank and
formed anticline structures and domes In quaternary (?) sediments that underlie the salt flats in the
eastern Little Rann near 23 17N, 71 14E.
The presence of folds along the Kachchh Mainland and Katrol Hill faults involving
possible Quaternary deposits suggests that there may be an active fold and thrust belt in the
southern Kachchh region. However, the lack of prominent tectonic geomorphology suggests that
the rate of crustal shortening is very low, on the order of a few mm/yr or less. In addition, the
depth of the earthquake rupture, >17 km, suggests that the causative fault may lie beneath and be
unrelated to the overlying fold and thrust belt.
The location of the earthquake within 400 km of the active plate margin, near the prominent
bend in the plate boundary (24.5 N), and in a region surrounded by Quaternary active structures
and large magnitude historical earthquakes Indicates that western Gujarat may be a transitional
zone between the stable continental interior and the plate Margin. Analysis of historical seismicity
in the region shows a recurrence of approximately 200 years for large Magnitude events such as
the 1819 Kachchh and 2001 Bhuj earthquakes. Further, the presence of folds and faults Involving
Tertiary and younger sediments stands in contrast to the marked stability of peninsular India east
of the Khambat graben, and indicates long-term tectonic activity.

The relatively high rates of historical seismicity in the Kachchh region, compared to
peninsular zonation map of India (Figure 2).India, is reflected In the higher seismic hazard
assigned to the area on the seismic

Earthquake Parameters
The epicentral coordinates of the main shocks obtained from teleseismic data are
reported by the USGS to have been 23.36 N and 70.34 E. The hypo central depth was between 17
and 22 kms, on a fault plane that strikes aboutN60 E and dips 60 to 70 south with a slip direction
of 62. The seismic moment of the event is estimated at 6.2x10 dyne-cm.
Initial modeling of slip distributions suggests a maximum displacement of 8 to 9 mat
depth, and uplift of about 2 m, 15 km West of the epicenter. The event had reverse motion, with a
slight right-lateral component of slip. Strong ground shaking lasted about 85 seconds and lower
Level shaking lasted several minutes. Many survivors of the earthquake reported feeling two
distinct pulses of shaking. These may Relate to the separate arrivals of the P-and S-waves.
The closest strong-motion recordings are from Ahmadabad, where peak ground acceleration was
0.11g. This is anomalously high given the 225 km distance from the epicenter. Ahmadabad is
located in the Khambat graben, which contains several kilometers of Tertiary and Quaternary
sediments, and therefore the level of shaking may be related to basin amplification. Figure 3
presents a preliminary MSK intensity map for the earthquake. A maximum intensity of MSK X
occurred over an east-northeast elongated zone of approximately 2100 sq km. Most of Gujarat
State lies within intensity VII or higher, reflecting the widespread damage and low Attenuation of
strong ground motion.

3. VALNERABILITY OF THE REGION

Bhuj: A Typical Large Continental Intraplate Earthquake

The Bhuj earthquake was initially stimulated because the region shares characteristics with the
New Madrid seismic zones. This intraplate North American active seismic zone also lies within
Precambrian cratonic basement, topped by relatively thin Paleozoic and younger sediments, including
thick ( 1 km) unconsolidated Cenozoic and Holocene sediments at the surface. Both regions have
experienced recurrent and failed rifting but are currently being compressed. The calculated seismic hazard
in both regions is dominated by the recurrence of large earthquakes with the previous occurrences in the
nineteenth century. There are differences, too, between the Bhuj and New Madrid areas, and future work
will need to explore the extent to which the Bhuj earthquake may be analogous to the New Madrid region
seismicity (Ellis et al., 2001). The aftershock studies are consistent with an interpretation that the Bhuj
earthquake was a blind reverse rupture, to considerable depth, of a fault internal to an old failed
continental rift zone. The largest such earthquake recorded by modern seismic instrumentation, Bhuj was
fairly high in stress drop, and powerful. It ruptured a previously unmapped fault, which was not evident at
the surface. From the perspective of spatial aftershock distributions, several tantalizing features are
apparent beside the main rupture plane itself, which future investigations may clarify. These include hints
at small active structures, perhaps aftershocks of aftershocks, or maybe intersecting structures slipping
sympathetically during the main shock.
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4. HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN THE REGION

EARTHQUAKE TAKEN PLACE IN THE REGION

5. THE DISASTERS & IMMEDIATE RESPONSE

a. Evacuation & immediate response
b. Initiatives by Government of India .Rescue, Efforts
The Kachchh region of Gujarat is known for high seismic hazard (see Figure2), yet there
was no disaster management plan in place to handle the earthquake emergency, and the
government of Gujarat was unprepared for a disaster management is the responsibility of state
governments, with the federal government(GOL) assisting with logistical and financial support.
After the earthquake, GoG and the GoL coordinated well, at least partly because the same political
partly is in power at the state and federal level.

Government response was hampered because the earthquake occurred on the Republic
Day Holiday and much of the government machinery was involved In the ceremonial activity. The
time of the quake (8:46 a.m.) coincided with flag-hoisting ceremonies in many places.
In some locales, this actually saved Numerous lives sinces many officials, school
children, and families had gathered on open ground for the ceremonies; however, in Anjar, about
300 children marching in narrow streets for the Republic Day parade could not escape when
buildings collapsed from both sides, trapping them.
An emergency control room in the state capital of Gandhinagar became operational by
9:30 a.m., with all the facilities of a well-equipped EOC> However, Repeated breakdown in
communications with the rest of the state and New Delhi seriously married its effectiveness. The
telecom officials wear killed by Felling debris. The fibre-optic cable that provided connectivity to
the Kachchh region was broken, resulting in isolation of the district from the rest of Gujarat.
Even the cellular phone coverage was interrupted. Communications with Kachchh were
partially restorated two days later, but remained the weakest link in Response operations.
The control rooms in places other than Gandhinagar were makeshift in nature, lacking in both
essential facilities and operational focus. While the information From Kachchh trickled in slowly,
news of collapses of multi-story buildings and consequent deaths poured in from Ahmedabad. The
GoG focused on the situation In the city, but rescue operations were hampered by the lack of
expertise and equipment in dealing with the collapses of multistory RC buildings; this being the
first earthquake in India to have caused such collapses.
The scale of disaster in Gujarat was so extensive that search and rescue operations were
overwhelmed. The City of Ahmedabad ran short of cranes and Earthmovers to rescue people from
the collapsed buildings. In the Kachchh region, the towns of Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar and Rapar, the
city of Gandhidham, and More than two hundred villages sustained severe to complete
devastation. There were also deaths and extensive damages in the neighboring towns of
Surendranagar, Patan, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Surat, Anand, Rajkot and Banskantha. It was
impossible for the GoG to send rescue teams with cranes and earth moving equipment to every
site of devastation, but neighboring states and private construction companies and industrial
houses in the region contributed to the rescue efforts. In many cases, large bulldozers could not
downtown areas due to narrow streets blocked by rubble.
As is the case in all such disasters, rescue in the initial hours was carried out by local
survivors of the disaster. Later, the Indian Army performed most of the rescues and flew in heavy
equipment. The Army also set up relief camps, distributed food, and provided medical assistance
including surgical units.

c. Role of Armed Forces

The Military Hospitals in the Kachchh region, Ahmedabad and Pune treated the injured.
The army also provided much needed security for property. On the Whole, the Indian Army
received tremendous acclamation for their efforts.

6. a. Relief Operations
Relief assistance began arriving in 72 hours from both within and outside the country.
Numerous non-government organizations (NGOs), industrial houses and religious organizations
provided relief assistance in the form of cooked food, water, blankets, tents, and medicine. The
governments of several other states in India contributed significant relief materials. The Gol
welcomed all foreign agencies that wished to help in the rescue and relief . As a result, a large
number of countries sent teams to participate in rescue and relief. The Indian Air Force (IAF)
airbase at Bhuj was critical for receiving emergency supplies and personnel. Even though the IAF
sustained significant losses at Bhuj and ten personnel were killed, the runway was made
operational by the afternoon of the first day. Bhuj became one of the busiest airports in India: in
the first five days following the earthquake, the otherwise sleepy Bhuj airport handled 800
landings and departures, which is more than the traffic at the Delhi and Mumbai airports
combined.
After the first few days of apparently disorganized and weak response, the GoG
improved coordination of the rescue and relief effort. A senior officer was appointed as the Relief
Coordination at Bhuj, and a new District Collector took charge. By this time, road, rail, and
telecom links had been restored, thanks to the extraordinary deduction of officials of these
departments. A coordination unit was set up at Bombay to facilitate the handling of international
relief. While there was a glut of relief material in the villages on the main road, adequate relief did
not reach many of the villages in the interior areas.
Some of the problems were
1) Poor coordination with the NGOs, which distributed relief material as they felt appropriate,
which did not necessarily mean optimal distribution of relief material for the entire affected
population;
2) Distribution of relief material through the public distribution system, which required
people to produce the ration cards that they used during normal times; and
3) The relief materials were sometimes inappropriate for needs of the people (e.g., in one
instance, tinned sardines were supplied to the people of Kachchh, who are predominantly
vegetarian).
As the days passed, temporary shelters for the homeless emerged as the most pressing need. The
supply of tents was far short of the demand.

b. Rehabilitation Plans
The GoG planned for the long-term rehabilitation of the people rendered homeless, and has
announced liberal financial assistance for those whose houses were partially or fully damaged. The
rehabilitation plans provide for relocation of villages sustaining more than 70% damage to new
locations, when the local village government so recommends. The entire rehabilitation scheme
envisages a very strong participation of the NGO sector. Reconstruction of the region is a daunting
task by any standard but, despite the devastation, both the government and people of Gujarat show
remarkable confidence that Kachchh will rise again.

After the initial relief phase, Government of Gujarat launched a massive reconstruction
and rehabilitation program in the affected areas. It was a great challenge to conceptualize a
massive reconstruction program, yet within a very short period government announced a
comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation policy which included assistance for restoration
of private houses, economic rehabilitation, and reconstruction of public infrastructure, prepare the
people to face disasters through community participation and multi hazard preparedness programs;
human resource development; and livelihood support, based on sustainable economy and ecology.
Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority was created as the nodal agency to implement the
massive reconstruction program
The task accomplished
Over 9,08,710(99%) houses repaired and 1,97,091 houses (89%)houses reconstructed
42,678 schoolrooms repaired (100%)
12,442 Schoolrooms reconstructed (152%)
3,391 public building repaired
1,245 public buildings reconstructed and work in 562 buildings in progress
5,223 km of transmission and distribution lines repaired
Repair/reconstruction of 640 km of state highways & 3,061 km of rural roads completed
Laying of 2,750 km of water supply pipelines including drilling of 222 deep tube wells
Restored the livelihood of 2,00,000 families

Better houses, upgraded infrastructure, good hospitals and schools can certainly be counted as
something that has changed for the better in the earthquake affected areas.
A benefit monitoring study done through a
third party captures the benefits, which have
accrued to the affected people very well as
outlined below. Indicator
Number of Pucca
*
houses
*
Beneficiaries living
in homes with
separate toilets
*
Insurance of
reconstructed houses
People knowing
what to do before,
*
during and after a
disaster
Employment level
*
among women
Water supply
*
through pipelines at
home

10

Before the
earthquake
66%

After the earthquake

100%

32%
53%
6%

49%

0%
80%
42%

92%

30%
34%

Quality of life index

1.00%

1.143%

Though the changes as reflected by the benefit monitoring study is impressive, what
really can be counted, as the most important change is the approach and attitude of government
and people towards disaster management itself. Before Gujarat earthquake the disaster
management was basically governed by Gujarat Relief Manual. The entire approach was to
provide relief after the occurrence of the disaster as per the guidelines laid down in the Relief
Manual.
The Gujarat earthquake resulted in a paradigm shift in the policy of the Government
from relief and humanitarian assistance oriented post-disaster intervention to a pro-active
prevention, mitigation and pre-disaster preparedness. Comprehensive Gujarat State Disaster
Management Policy was declared in November 2002. Legal and Regulatory requirement for
effective disaster management resulted in enactment of the Gujarat State Disaster Management
Act in March 2003. Gujarat is the first State in India to enact an act for disaster management.
Long-term disaster management capacity building has been made part of the
reconstruction and rehabilitation program not only to ensure sustainable reconstruction and
rehabilitation but also to reduce vulnerability and reduce risk. Various structural and non-structural
measures and training and capacity building measures have been initiated on a large scale in
Gujarat which has permanently changed the way the government and the communities cope up
with disasters in Gujarat.
The Gujarat earthquake did not only result in changes in focus from relief to mitigation
and setting up of institutional mechanism for the same in Gujarat, but has brought about a major
change at the national level towards disaster management. At the National level, emphasis now is
being laid on disaster mitigation. The planning commission has recommended for utilizing 10% of
the plan funds for pre-disaster mitigation and planning. A national level disaster management
authority on the lines of GSDMA is being worked out at the central government level. Draft bill
on National Disaster Management has been prepared. Many of the lessons learnt and best practices
of Gujarat initiated after the earthquake is being replicated at the national level and at the state
level in other states including setting up of disaster management authorities and enactment of bills
etc. The approach and process of Gujarat earthquake reconstruction is now being looked at as a
model for reconstruction in the earthquake affected areas in Bam and Tsunami reconstruction in
Srilanka, Indonesia and in the tsunami affected south Indian states.
The various initiatives undertaken for integrating reconstruction and long-term disaster
management capacity building have resulted in a major change in the way reconstruction
programs are being done in India and the neighboring countries. This has in turn resulted in a
major shift towards prevention and mitigation of disasters from the age-old relief oriented disaster
management in India.

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c. Management of Earthquake
The guidelines emphasize that all new structures are built in compliance with
earthquake resistant building codes. Town planning, bye-laws, structural safety audits of existing
lifeline structures and other critical structures in earthquake prone areas, carrying out selective
seismic strengthening and retrofitting ought to be addressed. Inspite of the immediate sense of
shock, confusion, helplessness and grief, the government and the community rose to the occasion
and quickly responded to the event. Soon after, a holistic and comprehensive reconstruction and
rehabilitation programme was put in place. A new Organization, the Gujarat State Disaster
Management Authority was established.
The Government of Gujarat also announced the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Policy (2001) The Gujarat Earthquake Reconstruction Programme was designed to address the
needs of the affected people comprehensively. It adopted a building back better approach,
involved the community and encompassed a number of sectors such as housing physical
infrastructure, social infrastructure (education and health), urban reconstruction, livelihood
restoration, social rehabilitation and long term disaster risk reduction.
The reconstruction programme had the following objectives:
(i) Promoting sustainable recovery in disaster affected areas, and
(ii) Laying the foundation for sustainable disaster management capacity in Gujarat.
The phase-wise focus of the programme is summarized as follows:
(a) The short term focus of the reconstruction programme was to address the immediate needs
such as temporary shelters before the onset of the monsoon, debris removal, repair of
houses and public buildings and emergency repair of irrigation structures.
Recovery Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
(b) The medium term objectives of the programme emphasized the repair and reconstruction of
houses, public infrastructure, and social infrastructure and initiating efforts towards disaster
Mitigation and reduction.
(c) The long term objective of the reconstruction programme was further strengthening
the capacity of government institutions and community towards disaster risk reduction
(Preparedness, response, mitigation and prevention) and implementation of risk transfer
Mechanism.
Some of the salient features of the Gujarat Reconstruction Programme are as follows:

(i) Owner Driven Reconstruction: The reconstruction of the houses was done by the owners
themselves with technical assistance provided by the government. This involved minimum
relocation and out of 215,255 houses that were reconstructed only 5720 houses were
partially relocated. To provide technical guidance to the community and ensure that the
newly built houses were hazard resistant, large number of engineers, architects and masons
were trained and technical guidelines were developed. A third party audit mechanism was
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established to control quality.

(ii) Housing Insurance: The Housing Insurance Programme was incorporated as a compulsory
Component for all G-5 houses and optional for houses of other categories. The insurance
covered 14 types of risks for 10 years and the premium was fixed at ` 349.10 for an insured
Sum of `1 lakh.
(iii) Urban reconstruction of all the four towns in Kutch ensured planning principles with
Improvement of basic services and urban environment.
(iv) A regulatory system for safe construction was strengthened and licensing of engineers and
Certifications of masons were introduced.
(v) Mass awareness on disaster preparedness was undertaken to prepare the community to
face similar future eventualities.

7. Photos of failure or damages of structure during earthquake

13

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15

16

17

18

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8. Results of Risk Management

2001 Gujarat Earthquake vs. 2006 Gujarat Earthquake

Gujarat Earthquakes

2001 Earthquake

2006 Earthquake

Date

26-Jan-01

6-Apr-06

Location

Gujarat

Gujarat

20,000 died

No deaths

Around 166,000 injured Around 40 people were injured.

Damage

Magnitude range
(Richter Scale)

5.5 billion $ loss of

assets

Around 1 million $ loss of

assets

40,000 homes
destroyed

Around 50 homes were

destroyed

5.5 - 8

5.5 - 8

After 2001 Earthquakes risk management techniques were adopted by people of Gujarat.
With the help of Knowledge, Protection and Coping, the damage caused by 2006 Earthquake
reduced drastically as compared to 2001 Earthquake

9. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

20

For the first time, Bhuj earthquake showed in graphic details the vulnerability of typical
Indian urban constructions. As a result, impact of this earthquake on the mindset of public as well
as policy makers has been enormous.
Scenario in India with regard to seismic safety programmes is considerably different
today than was the case prior to the Bhuj earthquake. The paper discusses some of the significant
post-Bhuj activities, and also the constraints that limited the impact of this earthquake towards
earthquake safety.
The 2001 Bhuj earthquake, even though tragic, will be a watershed event for seismic risk
reduction in India. Numerous new initiatives and activities have emerged in the last years that
would not have been possible before the earthquake. It is however important to ask the question:
as a consequence of these activities, will we see much lower disaster if a similar earthquake were
to strike the country say ten years down the line? The answer to this question depends on whether
the intentions and the plans can be successfully converted into actions at the ground level, that is,
in terms of safer built environment. It is important that the risk mitigation programmes be put on a
stable growth track such that even when there are no strong champions to push the agenda of
safety, these programmes move forward due to their own momentum. Earthquake is primarily an
engineering problem and it requires an engineering solution through safer constructions.
It is seen that in areas where capacity development had taken place before the earthquake,
it was possible to leverage the situation arising out of the earthquake and establish strong
activities. On the other hand, opportunity was lost on several fronts where prior spadework was
not done. Clearly, the country needs to pursue the agenda of capacity building in an aggressive
manner: not only for initiating and executing the mitigation programmes now, but also to ensure
that any opportunity for betterment created by the next disaster can be fully exploited.

References

21

http://www.nicee.org/Bhuj.php
Research paper by Mr. Alok Gupta
http://www.geerassociation.org/GEER_Post%20EQ%20Reports/Bhuj_2001/india_photo.html
http://asc-india.org/lib/20010126-kachchh.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Gujarat_earthquake
EERI Special earthquake Info - April 2001

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