The first Early Earthquake Warning System of the National Capital Region was installed on the premises of Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) in Sector 18 here on Monday.
The system was inaugurated by Harayan Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu in the presence of the several senior officials of HIPA, Bihar Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force and National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
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The live demonstration of Early Earthquake Warning System showcased application of the technology by creating artificial earthquake waves.
As soon as the system detected primary waves measuring more than 5 on the Richter scale, it raised an alarm and switched off the electricity, water supply and elevators, and turned on the emergency lights on HIPA premises. Over 150 people present at the venue witnessed the live demonstration of the technology.
“Gurgaon is a Millennium City and thus it should have the best disaster management technology. The installation at HIPA will help district officials, industrialists, private developers and companies to know about the benefits of the technology in a better manner. The technology gives warning a few seconds before a high-intensity earthquake strikes. It can save millions of lives,” said Captain Abhimanyu, who is also the Minister for Disaster Management.
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The technology is installed on foundation pillars of a building, after measuring and studying the layout of the structure. The system is capable of detecting the intensity of an earthquake and differentiating between primary waves and secondary waves.
Timely alarm
The technology alerts as soon as the primary waves strike an area so that people get some time before secondary waves (actual earthquake) hit the area. It raises an alarm almost 30 seconds before the actual earthquake.
Besides raising the alarm, it also shuts down gas pipeline, park elevators at safest position, switches off electricity supply and turns on power back up, shut off water supply, saves crucial data, opens emergency exits among many other safety measures.
It is the world’s only early earthquake warning system that can even be connected to the building management system.
The technology installed in Gurgaon can help Delhi to a great extent.
“Gurgaon is close to Sohna faultline. If an earthquake strikes the area, Delhi, located about 40 km away from Gurgaon, can get warning a few seconds before the earthquake strikes the national capital,” says Dr. Chandan Ghosh, the head of the Geo-Hazard Risk Management Division from NIDM.
Early Earthquake Warning and Security System, introduced by German firm, Secty Electronics, in collaboration with GFZ, has been brought to India by their Indian partners, Terra Techcom Pvt. Ltd.