| 2001 Gujarat earthquake | |
| Timestamp: | 2001-01-26 03:16:40 |
| Anss-Url: | usp000a8ds |
| Isc-Event: | 1763683 |
| Local-Time: | 08:46 am IST |
| Magnitude: | 7.6 |
| Type: | Oblique-slip, Intraplate |
| Duration: | 90 seconds |
| Countries Affected: | India, Pakistan |
| Casualties: | 20,023 fatalities, 166,951 injuries |
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January at . The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch (Kachchh) District of Gujarat, India.[1] [2]
The intraplate earthquake measured 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale and occurred at depth. It had a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake killed at least 20,023 people (including 19 in southeastern Pakistan), injured another 166,000 and destroyed nearly over 400,000 buildings.[3] [4]
See also: Geology of India. Gujarat lies 300–400 km from the plate boundary between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate, but the current tectonics are still governed by the effects of the continuing continental collision along this boundary. During the break-up of Gondwana in the Jurassic, this area was affected by rifting with a roughly west–east trend. During the collision with Eurasia the area has undergone shortening, involving both reactivation of the original rift faults and development of new low-angle thrust faults. The related folding has formed a series of ranges, particularly in central Kutch.[5]
The focal mechanism of most earthquakes is consistent with reverse faulting on reactivated rift faults. The pattern of uplift and subsidence associated with the 1819 Rann of Kutch earthquake is consistent with reactivation of such a fault.
The earthquake was caused by movement on a previously unknown south-dipping fault, trending parallel to the inferred rift structures.[6] [7] No major surface ruptures were associated with the shock, classifying it as a blind thrust earthquake. Lateral spreading was widely reported and strike-slip faulting was observed at Bharodia and Manfara.[8] On the moment magnitude scale, the International Seismological Centre said it measured a magnitude of 7.6, while United States Geological Survey put it at 7.7.
A finite fault model from the USGS estimated that the earthquake rupture had an area of x . Slip was mostly concentrated around the northern patches of the rupture, with a maximum slip of recorded in the village of Chobari. The full rupture also extended through the cities of Bhuj and Rapar, although slip in these areas was extremely minor.
| Area | Deaths[9] | Injuries[10] |
|---|---|---|
| Kutch | 18,416 | 39,765 |
| Ahmedabad | 752 | 4,030 |
| Rajkot | 433 | 10,567 |
| Jamnagar | 119 | 4,592 |
| Surendranagar | 113 | 2,851 |
| Surat | 46 | 157 |
| Patan | 38 | 1,686 |
| Banaskantha | 32 | 2,770 |
Over 1.2 million houses in 8,000 villages and 490 towns were damaged or destroyed, as well as 12,000 schools, 2,000 health facilities, many historic buildings and tourist attractions;[14] [15] 400,000 of the damaged homes completely collapsed.[16] Across Bhachau, over 5,000 people died and 9,000 houses were damaged or destroyed.[17] In Chobari, the closest settlement to the epicenter, all 3,200 houses were razed and 648 residents were killed.[18] Adhoi village lost 354 residents, including 25 students at a school. Much of Vondh was also razed and 400 people died there.[17] All 208 houses in the village of Visnagar were also destroyed.[19] In Anjar, over 2,000 people died, including 204 who were killed at a Republic Day parade.[20] There were also 58 deaths in Gandhidham.[21]
In Ahmedabad, 1,021 apartments and 82 houses collapsed, and 752 people were killed.[21] Total property damage was estimated at $7.5 billion. In Kutch, the earthquake destroyed about 60% of food and water supplies and around 258,000 houses, 90% of the district's housing stock. The biggest setback was the total demolition of the Bhuj Civil hospital. The Indian military provided emergency support which was later augmented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society. A temporary Red Cross hospital remained in Bhuj to provide care while a replacement hospital was built.[22]
There were also 19 deaths in Pakistan.[23] The Badin-Tharparkar area recorded 12 deaths, 115 injuries, 1,989 collapsed homes and 43,643 damaged homes.[24]
Four months after the earthquake the Gujarat government announced the Gujarat Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Policy. The policy proposed a different approach to urban and rural construction with the estimated cost of rebuilding to be US$1.77 billion.[25]
The main objectives of the policy included repairing, building, and strengthening houses and public buildings. Other objectives included the revival of the economy, health support, and reconstruction of the community and social infrastructure.
The housing policies focused on the removal of rubble, setting up temporary shelters, full reconstruction of damaged houses, and the retrofitting of undamaged units. The policy established a community-driven housing recovery process. The communities affected by the earthquake were given the option for complete or partial relocation to in-situ reconstruction.[26] The total number of eligible houses to be repaired was 929,682 and the total number of eligible houses to be reconstructed was 213,685. By 2003, 882,896 (94%) houses were repaired and 113,271 (53%) were reconstructed.[27]
The Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC) was commissioned to provide a new city plan for the city of Bhuj.[28] The plan focused on creating a wider roadway network to provide emergency access to the city. The EPC used land readjustment (LR) in the form of eight town planning schemes. This was implemented by deducting land from private lot sizes to create adequate public land for the widening of roadways.[29] The remaining land was readjusted and given back to the original owners as final plots.
The Government of Gujarat created four assistance packages worth up to US$1 billion to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the city. These packages assisted about 300,000 families. The government also announced a US$2.5 million package to revive small, medium, and cottage industries. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank also provided loans worth $300 million and $500 million, respectively.
Assistance was offered from many countries and organisations.
 Australia | US$550,000 | |
 Bangladesh | 20,000 tons of rice and a 12-member medical team | |
 Belgium | US$920,000 | |
 Canada | US$2 million | |
 China | US$602,000 | |
 Greece | US$270,000 in financial aid relief supplies | |
 Israel | 150 member emergency aid mission | |
 Italy | US$2.3 million for emergency equipment | |
 Japan | US$3 million in financial aid and US$1,14 million worth of relief supplies and equipments[30] | |
 Kuwait | US$250,000 | |
 Netherlands | US$2.5 million through UNICEF | |
 New Zealand | US$200,000 grant | |
 Pakistan | 13 tons of relief material such as blankets and food | |
| Medical and other relief supplies | ||
| US$100,000 | ||
 United Kingdom | £10 million | |
 United States | Relief supplies up to US$5 million | |
 United Arab Emirates
| Relief material and supplies | |
 Nepal | Relief materials and financial aid |
| American Red Cross of Central New Jersey | Grant program of US$10,000 with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross Indian Earthquake Relief Fund | |
| CARE International | Relief Materials | |
| HelpAge India | Relief materials to rural areas and Mobile Medicare Units (MMUs) | |
| Oxfam | Food distribution. shelters, temporary bathing facilities, and relief materials | |
| £10 million, 350-bed hospital, water and sanitation units, telecommunications team, and a British Red Cross logistics team | ||
| US$1.2 million | ||
| Technisches Hilfswerk (THW) | Rehabilitation of Water Supply & Storage for Villages nearby Bhachau. | |
| Department of International Development (DFID-UK) | Financing of Relief funds for local and international NGO working on Relief works in rural Kutch. |
Smritivan, a memorial park and museum dedicated to victims of the earthquake was built on top of Bhujia Hill in Bhuj, Kutch and opened in 2022. Spread over an area of 470 acre, it has more than 13,805 trees, each dedicated to a victim, planted in the garden and 108 small water reservoirs created on the hill.[31] [32] [33]
Veer Balak Smarak in Anjar is memorial dedicated to 185 school children and 20 teachers who died during the earthquake.[34] [35] [36]
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