Disaster management awareness campaign to be launched in Bihar

Patna, Sept 19 (PTI) Alarmed by the major earthquake
that caused loss of lives and property in northeastern Indian
state Sikkim and other states, eastern state Bihar State
Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) has decided to launch a
disaster management awareness campaign, its Vice-President
Anil Kumar Sinha said on Monday.
The tremor with a magnitude of 6.8 in the Richter
scale had its epicentre in Sikkim and caused loss of lives and
property in states like Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar.
Sinha said the campaign would ask people to ensure
that all buildings are made with earthquake resistant
equipment in Bihar that comes under seismic zone 4, the second
highest risk zone.
A building code has been proposed for new structures
and a mandatory training of building engineers and masons up
to panchayat level, Sinha told reporters.
Besides this structural mitigation component, people
would be educated on non-structural mitigation measures like
the do's and don'ts in the event of occurrence of earthquakes.
He said people would be trained through rehearsal and
mock-drills by disaster management experts on how to react
during quake-like situations to minimise risk.
The BSDMA would carry out the campaign up to panchayat
level and seek to educate women in particular as they have
been known as home managers, he said adding schools and
colleges too would be covered under the awareness campaign.
The BSDMA vice-president said the agency will observe the
third week of January as Earthquake Safety Week and the first
week of June as flood safety week.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed
concern over the lack of earthquake safety measures in most of
the private buildings in the state.
He said new buildings must have earthquake resistant
features and he will direct the building department to amend
laws to this effect.