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The Rumbling Earth: The Story of Indian Earthquakes
No full textThe renowned seismologists C.P. Rajendran and Kusala Rajendran offer a riveting story of the Indian earthquakes, their science, history and impact. Like all other natural phenomena, earthquakes are part of life-sustaining forces-- the creators of the mountains, valleys and springs or even deserts on Earth-- a theatre where the show never ends.
The book takes the readers to some exciting parts of India to show how earthquakes change the topography where a sea existed not far in the past-- now a salt marsh, affecting the social life, trade and livelihood. The book discusses the likelihood of the next big earthquake in the Himalayas against the backdrop of the devastating earlier ones revealed by archaeology, history and geology. It probes the causes and aftermath of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and gives a glimpse of the past.
The high-impact earthquakes will happen, but they need not always end up as human catastrophes. The authors have spent much of their professional lives studying the earthquakes in India and abroad. They tell us from their vast experience how to negotiate the impacts of earthquakes and related hazards by following science-based strategies
Sedimentary records of liquefaction from central Kerala (southwestern India), as earthquake indicators in a cratonic area
Get PDFFar from the plate boundaries, the seismogenic zones within the cratonic areas of Indian land mass had remained largely undetected. The moderate earthquakes in such areas have proved to be hugely damaging because of their infrequency and consequent lack of societal preparedness. As the subtle geological expressions of tectonism make identifying hazardous zones in cratonic areas difficult, it is important to develop locally appropriate geological criteria to isolate potential seismic source zones. Although seismically induced liquefaction preserved in the sedimentary sections is useful as an earthquake proxy, its scope remains underestimated in cratonic regions. Here we offer a field-based methodological approach to mapping liquefaction features from such an area, located south of the Bharathapuzha River in the southwestern part of the Indian craton. We used the field data to constrain the near-field earthquake potential. The earthquake-induced soil liquefaction, in the form of sand dikes and sills, was identified within an area of roughly 100 km2, and the available data suggest two episodes of liquefaction – the one between 2.0 ka and 2.5 ka, and a later event around 0.78 ka BP. The spatial distribution and the dimension of the soil liquefaction features, in an area known for the occasional spurt in minor earthquakes in recent times, are suggestive of a potential seismic source in the region that can generate earthquakes of moment magnitudes (Mw) ranging from 5.5 to 6.5. Thus the present observation is a vital input for constraining the region’s seismic hazard and the methodology developed here can be used in other areas of unknown potential
Knowledge Sharing Session - “An Evidence-Based Approach to Access Energy Transition in Clean Cooking”
No full text"During the Knowledge Sharing Session, NIAS research on “An Evidence-Based Approach to Access Energy Transition in Clean Cooking” was presented at Modern Energy Cooking Forum (MECF)-2024 [Theme: "Accelerating Progress in Transition to eCooking''.] held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 27 September 2024. The core objective of the study was to Evaluate Energy Transition Readiness in the Residential Cooking Sector among Low and Medium-Income Households in Bengaluru. Through a detailed thematic survey of 910 households, the NIAS team unearthed several not-so-obvious socio-economic realities that dictate lifestyle choices, such as the choices made by households for residential cooking. These socio-economic determinants often remain unexplored, with scarce and fragmented information available in the open-source domain. Therefore, the results brought forth by the NIAS team, both in qualitative and quantitative forms, add significantly to the body of existing knowledge. The research also points at several gap areas that need attention from policymakers for the overall upliftment of society through appropriate interventions aimed at low-to-medium-income households. This study also aims to initiate informed engagements among the eCooking industry stakeholders, policymakers, and the consumer community.
Historical expansion of tea plantations over 150 years (1876–2023) in North Bengal, India
No full textThe Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze agroforestry system has been a dominant driver of land transformation for over a century. However, most previous studies have not captured the dynamics of tea plantations since their inception. To address this research gap, this study investigates 150 years (1876 to 2023) of tea area dynamics and two decades (2001–2022) of tree loss in the Bengal-Dooars region (Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts). Various data sources were employed, including Sentinel-2A imagery (10 m), early twentieth century topographic maps at a 1:50,000 scale, and historical records from the British colonial period. Results revealed that the tea area expanded from 331 to 95,800 ha (a 70% increase) during the study period. The 1-km grid-wise spatial analysis indicated that approximately 70% of the increase was attributed to the 60–90% and > 90% grid categories, signifying the expansion of large tea estates. Most tea gardens (TG) are sustained with trees, which can significantly contribute to carbon stock. Tree loss within and outside TG for 2001–2022 was analyzed using annual tree loss data at 30 m from the Global Forest Watch (GFW) platform. Between 2001 and 2022, about 52.7% of tree loss was attributed to TG, although tea covers only 15.3% of the geographic area of the study region. Our findings highlight the historical expansion of tea plantations and their impact on natural land cover. We suggest that future studies address the mean age of TG along with tree fractions for improved carbon estimates
Political consequences of intra-village inequalities in rural transformation - a study of two villages in West Bengal
No full text36th Senior Executives Programme on "Leadership in a World in Transition" 8-13 January 2024
No full textOpportunities and Way Forward for Rare Earth Industry Ecosystem in India.
No full textRoom air conditioners (RACs) and laundry washing machines (LWMs) are crucial green energy products linked with economic growth in India, since both have a much lower level of market (and household) penetration than refrigerators. The key issues often overlooked while creating the aspiration-driven, larger picture are the availability of resources and indigenous industrial capability. The aspiration for the large-scale green transition needs to be revisited periodically to realign the priorities and chart out the most viable trajectory for the transition to a cleaner future. Energy-efficient RACs and LWMs necessitate using Rare Earth (RE) permanent magnets in their motor architecture because of their superior performance compared to their ferrite counterparts. All the motors and magnets used in the air conditioners, washing machines, and EVs are currently imported. More than 80% of the usage of rare earths in value terms is in RE permanent magnets. The industrial capabilities to manufacture RE permanent magnets and customized motors for the ecosystem would require appropriate incentives, uninterrupted availability of the critical RE materials used in the magnets, and demand for indigenous products
