After Peth, cracks surface in Kalwan

BAPKHEDA KALWAN, MAY 5: Tremors have been experienced in this tiny hamlet in Kalwan taluka of Nashik district, with cracks appearing on...

BAPKHEDA KALWAN, MAY 5: Tremors have been experienced in this tiny hamlet in Kalwan taluka of Nashik district, with cracks appearing on the walls and floor of some houses here. Bapkheda is the third village, after Gonde and Ekdara both in Peth taluka where cracks in the earth have spread panic among the tribal population.

Apart from Bapkheda the phenomenon has also been experienced in Athambe village in Kalwan taluka, which has been experiencing tremors intermittently since the last three years.

In Athambe village, which has a population of about 1,000, two lengthy cracks have split the earth. The larger one is about 50 feet long and ranges from 4 to 12 inches wide. However, the houses here have not been affected. According to the village sarpanch, Popat Bagul, the first intimation came when rumbling sounds emanated from the earth followed by a tremor. The villagers say they are used to such tremors, but the appearance of the cracks has frightened them.

Nashik District Collector Manoj Saunik, whovisited both villages, says teams from the Civil Defence would be dispatched to the hamlets to apprise the adivasis of precautionary measures they can undertake in the event of an earthquake. He said the district administration would provide bamboos to weave mats which can be inserted under the tiles on the roofs to prevent them from falling in the event of an earthquake.

Saunik said experts from the Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Geomagnatic Studies and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre would undertake a detailed digital seismological survey of the region. The state government has sanctioned Rs 60 lakh for the survey.

About a dozen villages in Kalwan taluka have been experiencing tremors intermittently since the last three years, ranging from 2 to 3.5 on the Richter Scale.

However, cracks in the earth began to appear only in January this year in Peth taluka. In Gonde, the waterable of the Damangaga river also fell overnight by seven feet. Similar cracks appeared inEkdara last month.