The digitised seismic observatories under the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have started functioning, making the measurement of seismic activities more accurate and timely.
The data available is recorded at the central station in Thiruvanathapuram, which is linked to various offices, including the Disaster Management Cell.
A senior official of the KSEB said the observatories were digitised at a cost of Rs.3.9 crore. Though it is possible to record earthquake and seismic activities elsewhere, it is now monitoring mainly the Tamil Nadu border and areas of Idukki and Mullaperiyar dams.
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The observatories are at Kulamavu, Alady, Meenkettu, Chottupara, Vallakadavu and Pampa. Any seismic activity recorded there would be transformed to the control room in Thiruvananathapuarm at the time of occurrence, the official said.
But in the analogue system, which was in place in these seismic observatories, there were possibilities of incorrect data and it was manually calculated. The intensity of a tremor could be available only after two to six hours and the data could not be automatically transformed, he said. The decision to digitise the observatories was taken after a number of tremors were recorded in the catchment areas of Idukki and Mullaperiyar dams over the past three years. The official said that many tremors of very low intensity had already been recorded in the Thiruvananthapuram centre, especially in the Tamil Nadu border. He said the equipment was so sensitive that it could accurately record any minor seismic activity.