Nepal installs four earthquake early warning sensors in Kathmandu valley

Image Courtesy: pnsn.org

The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has installed four earthquake early warning sensors in Kathmandu valley on the first anniversary of the Gorkha earthquake. These sensors can inform about the earthquakes 10-22 seconds in advance. 

The NAST has installed the earthquake sirens at Khumaltar, Kirtipur, Godawari and Sinamangal areas which will send information of earthquake occurred within the 80 km of range of the installation.

One seismic siren has been installed in NAST's premises in Khumaltar, whereas another in Central Department of Geology at Tribhuwan University in Kirtipur. Similarly, another siren has been installed at Bhrikuti Hotel at Godawari and fourth one at Sourya School in Singamangal. 

The seismic sirens have been provided by Institute of Care Life in China. The seismic sensors have capacity to measure seismic vibrations by converting ground motion into a measurable electronic signal.

Nepal’s National Seismological Centre has recorded more than 30,000 aftershocks of the April 25 earthquake in one year. However, only the felt aftershocks of magnitude 4 or greater are updated via NSC website.

Earthquake early-warning systems have been deployed in only a handful of the world's seismic hot zones, Reuters quoted seismologist Peggy Hellweg, of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley as saying. They can warn of quakes as much as a few minutes before they strike. Countries with such systems include Mexico, Japan, and the United States, where the most advanced system is California's state-run ShakeAlert.