Nay Pyi Taw hit by minor earthquakes

Nay Pyi Taw hit by minor earthquakes

By Aye Sapay Phyu   |   Monday, 08 April 2013

Two moderate earthquakes rocked central Myanmar last week but no casualties were reported.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) said an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale with an epicentre 79 kilometres (49 miles) southwest of Nay Pyi Taw was recorded at 11.05pm on April 3. At 5.30am the following day, a 4.7-magnitude quake occurred 64km (40 miles) southwest of Nay Pyi Taw.

"I felt a slight shaking for just a second about 11pm last night. But we haven't had any report of damage or injuries," U Kyaw San Win, a disaster management officer in Nay Pyi Taw, said on April 4.

An official from the seismological division of DMH said shallow earthquakes also hit Taungoo and Bago in Bago Region, Taungdwingyi in Magwe Region and Nay Pyi Taw.

Daw Hla Hla Aung, a researcher with the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, said the earthquakes were associated with the 600-kilometre long fault line that runs north-northwest to south-southeast from Bagan towards Yangon.

"An earthquake of about magnitude 7 occurred on that fault in 1858 and another jolt of magnitude 5 happened in 2007. The two earthquakes on April 3 and 4 occurred on the segment between Pyay, Bago Region, and Aunglan, Magwe Region. We can't say if it's a foreshock or not because earthquakes cannot be precisely predicted," she said.

She said that the earthquakes were not related to aftershocks from the 6.8 magnitude Shwebo earthquake in November 2012.

Meanwhile, Mandalay is proceeding with plans to reduce earthquake risks. On March 28-29, Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) officials met experts from the Ministry of Social Welfare, United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-HABITAT) and the Norwegian foreign ministry to discuss the plan, which is expected to be finalised after three to six months of consultations.

UN-HABITAT earthquake expert Mr Jaiganesh Murugesan said Mandalay was the first city to formulate disaster reduction plans, but that risk assessments were taking place in Bago and Taungoo in Bago Region and Sagaing in Sagaing Region through the Myanmar Engineering Society and Myanmar Geo-Sciences Society. Those cities would subsequently develop their own plans, he said.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/07/06/nay-pyi-taw-hit-by-minor-earthquakes/