January 22, 2002

    India and China have begun three-day consultations here on natural disasters with the devastating Kutch earthquake of Jan, 2001 as role model. The two sides are analysing the seismic data recorded before the quake as well as in its aftermath. This is in a bid to find, if any technique could be developed for the prediction of earthquakes and mitigation of calamity. This is essential for both the countries, as they are located on the global seismic belt.

    The India-China joint workshop assumes significance as it comes soon on the heels of Premier Zhu Rongji’s visit to New Delhi last week when the two sides signed a number of agreements including three on science and technology and space. With the signing of the agreements on science and technology, the India-China scientific ties have started looking up with a number of thematic workshops scheduled to assess each other’s strength and expertise in various fields and chalk out joint collaborative programmes.

    The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, inaugurating the workshop said, consultations on natural disaster warning/mitigation are already on with France and Russia also. He said it is imperative that India and China who constitute one-third of the world population work together for the benefit of the entire mankind. Since developed countries have few problems compared to developing countries, it is high-time that the two most populous countries work together pooling their strength, technologies and traditional wisdom to lessen human suffering. What India and China can’t do alone, can do better by joining hands. Prof. Ramamurthy also said that every natural disaster creates an open laboratory for

    everyone to learn from and asked the scientists from both sides to evolve joint projects based on synergy to enrich bilateral cooperation.

    The seven-member Chinese delegation comprising seismologists is headed by the Vice-President of the Geological Society of China Prof. He Yongnian. From India, about 100 scientists are participating in the interactive round-table meeting that is discussing a wide range of subjects including seismic micro-zonation, earthquake monitoring and prediction. Earthquake is the most dreaded hazard in China and about 55 percent of total toll in earthquakes occur in that country. In India, great earthquakes of magnitude 8+ had struck between 1897 and 1950 and nearly 57 percent of the Indian landmass is under earthquake-threat.