t the very outset, Nallepilly resembles yet another Palakkad village with lush greenery and vast expanses of rice fields. But this leafy remote village in Chittur taluk is famous among seismologists in and outside the country as it was the epicentre of a massive earthquake that shook South India on February 8, 1900.
“The younger generation here seems unaware of the incident. But Nallepilly reminds us that the whole of south India is not free from seismic activities, especially at a time when huge developmental and industrial activities are being undertaken unmindful of their environmental consequences.
Though the epicentre of the earthquake was Nallepilly, it rocked Coimbatore and Coonoor in Tamil Nadu and caused widespread destruction. Its impact was felt in areas that lie between Udupi in north and Thiruvananthapuram in south, and Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Chennai, Nagapattinam, and Madurai in the eastwest direction,” says Chittur-based earthquake researcher K. Saravana Kumar, who reminds about the need for precautions to avoid another quake. He also cites expert quotes to say that Palakkad and surroundings are earthquake-prone.
“The buildings that were damaged in the earthquake include Coimbatore Central Jail and a Roman Catholic chapel in Coonoor. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway suffered huge losses. No casualty was reported that time owing to the fact that most of the houses were made of thatch or had tiled roofs,” he points out. According to him, huge buildings and change in land use patterns will inflict more harm on life and property if the earth quake recurs.
“Studies indicate that any seismic event in the Nallepilly region could reach a maximum magnitude of 5.5 to 5.75 on the Richter scale.
Awakening people and the administration so that the people are trained and prepared to face any eventuality remains the need of the hour.
As earthquakes are part of the dynamic movement of the earth, no scientific achievement can prevent them,” says Arun Bapat, a Pune-based seismologist. “People should learn to live with this reality in quake-prone areas. People must be trained in mitigation,” he adds.
“As Palakkad and surroundings have been indentified quake-prone, the government must train people in mitigation efforts and must promote construction of quake-resistant buildings.
Areas like Nelliampathy and Elappully are highly prone to quakes. We are conducting awareness programmes across the region without any official patronage,’’ says Saravana Kumar, who also works as a part-time journalist and activist. A documentary film by Saravana Kumar titled Richter Scale got wide appreciation from the people of Palakkad. Saravana Kumar is now focusing on students of schools and colleges in Palakkad.
According to him, illegal granite quarrying and high level of environmental degradation in the Nelliampathy-Muthalamada region make the situation more risky.
Studies indicate that any seismic event in the Nallepilly region could reach a maximum magnitude of 5.5 to 5.75 on the Richter scale
