Can scientists predict the next Indian earthquake?

They can map hazard and sometimes give seconds of warning after a quake starts. They cannot honestly name the date and size in advance.

Why did a moderate quake kill so many in some towns?

Soft soil, illegal floors, and poor detailing turn a moderate magnitude into a disaster. Frequency of news is not the same as quality of buildings.

The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian

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The subcontinent’s seismic hazard is old; better instruments and media make shocks more visible. Risk has risen because more people live in unsafe concrete in the Himalaya, Northeast, and crowded plains. Codes and NDMA exist; municipal enforcement, hospital retrofit, and lifeline redundancy do not match the maps. Earthquakes cannot be dated in advance; seconds of P-wave warning and drop-cover-hold still save lives. The work is inspection, retrofit, and drills, not a new prediction office.

Model answer

Flow diagram

flowchart TD
  PL[Plate boundary hazard] --> EV[Felt events]
  MED[Better instruments media] --> EV
  UNS[Unsafe dense buildings] --> RISK[Higher loss]
  EV --> RISK
  CODE[BIS codes NDMA] --> PREP[Preparedness]
  GAP[Weak enforcement no retrofit] --> RISK

Conclusion

Make occupancy certificates depend on real seismic inspection, not a file.
Retrofit hospitals and schools in Zones IV and V on a published timetable.
Update maps, ban unsafe hill construction, and practise mass casualty with the army and NDRF before the next night-time quake.
Teach every engineer and mason in the Himalaya the same detailing rules the code already wrote.

Earthquakes have not magically become a new geology; recording, aftershocks, and unsafe growth make them feel more frequent and more deadly. India’s gap is enforcement of building codes, retrofit of lifeline buildings, public drills, and seconds-scale warning — not a missing prediction of the next date. Preparedness is masonry and governance, not a press release after each tremor.

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Next question in the 2015 paper (Q17). View answer →
Can scientists predict the next Indian earthquake?

They can map hazard and sometimes give seconds of warning after a quake starts. They cannot honestly name the date and size in advance.
Why did a moderate quake kill so many in some towns?

Soft soil, illegal floors, and poor detailing turn a moderate magnitude into a disaster. Frequency of news is not the same as quality of buildings.

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The frequency of earthquakes appears to have increased in the Indian subcontinent. However, India's preparedness for mitigating their impact has significant gaps. Discuss various aspects.

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In the view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non - viable for a majority of farmers should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? critically evaluate the pros and cons.

Toppers' copies