Mock Quake Drill in Northeast India

Shillong, Mar 10 : Meghalaya, Assam and other states in the seismically-active North East region are all geared up for the replication of 1897's 8.7 magnitude Shillong earthquake next week, the biggest mock drill in South East Asia, aimed at assessing multi-state disaster preparedness, an official said here today.

The drill will identify gaps while responding to such a calamity, National Disaster Management Authority official Tripti Parule said.

The simulation will be done simultaneously in all state capitals across the North east and also the state's next big town except for Assam where the mock drill would be conducted in three cities in two phases, she said.

The scientifically developed earthquake scenario will bring out the anticipated impact on lives and property and alert the government agencies on the challenges to be met, she said.

On Monday, Shillong, Guwahati, Itanagar and Gangtok besides one district headquarters each of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim would face the earthquake like scenario at 11:30 am.

The mock exercise for the rest of the state capitals and five other district headquarters will be held on March 13.

Over eight lakh casualties and more than 55 lakh people would be injured in the entire region in case a tremble like the 1897's jolt occurs in the near future, Parule said.

"We have set up the staging area, an incident command post and all government department heads are actively participating in the drill," H B Marak, executive office of the SDMA told PTI.

One Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force will be arriving tomorrow to assist the state disaster response force and other forces which will be participating in the national event, he added.