Delhi-NCR Seismic Resilience and Response Cycle: UPSC Current Affairs Story Arc

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GS-1GS-33 events · 2025-07-10 → 2025-08-11

A moderate 4.4 magnitude earthquake at a shallow depth of 10 km was the alarm clock Delhi didn't want, but desperately needed. It triggered a massive response: within 32 days, authorities shifted from identifying life-threatening building code violations to executing 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' across 55 strategic locations.

Overview

This arc tracks the rapid transition from a seismic event to a policy-driven resilience exercise in India's National Capital Region (NCR). Following a light earthquake on July 10, 2025, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) identified that rapid urban growth had outpaced safety enforcement, leaving many structures non-compliant with the IS 1893:2016 seismic code. The response culminated on August 11 with 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra', the first-ever multi-state integrated drill involving Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. This sequence highlights India's shift from reactive relief to proactive mitigation, aligning with the international Sendai Framework (2015–2030) to minimize disaster risk in high-density urban corridors.

How This Story Evolved

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake strikes Delhi-NCR (July 10) → Experts and NDMA assess gaps in urban resilience and building code compliance following the event (July 17) → Authorities conduct 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra', the first multi-state integrated drill to test new SOPs and coordination (August 11).

  1. 2025-07-10: Earthquake hits Delhi-NCR
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Not exam-relevant

    Key Facts:

    • Earthquake
    • Magnitude 4.4
    • Jhajjar
    • Haryana
    • Delhi-NCR
    • 09:04 am
    • 10 km depth
  2. 2025-07-17: Earthquake Risks Due to Urban Growth in India
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Delhi faces increasing earthquake risks due to rapid urbanization.

    Key Facts:

    • Delhi: Located in Seismic Zone IV (high risk)
    • Ground acceleration factor: 0.24g
    • Non-compliance: Many buildings don't meet IS 1893:2016 Code
    • Himalayan region: Overdue for a major earthquake
    • NDMA & Disaster Management Act (2005): Established NDMA, NDRF, and SDMAs
    • Monitoring capacity increased: 80 stations in 2014 to 168 in 2025
    • BhooKamp App: Launched by NCS, provides real-time earthquake alerts
    • Earthquake resilience refers to the ability of infrastructure, communities, and institutions to withstand and recover from seismic shocks with minimal damage and disruption.
    • India expanded monitoring capacity from 80 stations in 2014 to 168 in 2025.
    • BhooKamp App: Launched by NCS, this mobile app provides real-time earthquake alerts to citizens.
  3. 2025-08-11: Exercise Suraksha Chakra: Multi-Agency Earthquake Drill in Delhi-NCR
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Exercise Suraksha Chakra: Multi-agency earthquake drill in Delhi-NCR.

    Key Facts:

    • Exercise Name: Suraksha Chakra
    • Type: Integrated multi-state, multi-agency earthquake drill
    • Area: Delhi-NCR
    • Locations: 55 locations in 18 districts
    • States: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh
    • Agencies Involved: NDMA, Indian Army, SDMAs, DDMAs
    • Facilities Tested: Schools, hospitals, metros, residential complexes

Genesis

Trigger

The arc was triggered by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake on July 10, 2025, with its epicenter in Jhajjar, Haryana. Occurring at 9:04 am, its shallow 10 km depth caused significant tremors across the NCR, serving as a real-world test of urban stability.

Why Now

The event happened amidst growing scientific concern regarding the 'Central Himalayan seismic gap,' which is overdue for a major earthquake. The July tremor acted as a 'near-miss' that forced authorities to confront the gap between building codes and actual on-ground compliance.

Historical Context

Delhi has historically ignored strict seismic zoning; despite being in Zone IV (High Risk), the city's 1960s-80s building stock precedes modern seismic codes like IS 1893:2016, making retrofitting a long-standing policy hurdle.

Key Turning Points

  1. [2025-07-17] Expert Assessment of Urban Resilience

    Shifted the narrative from 'accidental tremor' to 'systemic failure of building codes'.

    Before: Focus was on post-quake relief. After: Focus shifted to proactive building code compliance and urban resilience.

  2. [2025-08-11] Exercise Suraksha Chakra

    Demonstrated for the first time that disaster response in the NCR is a multi-state problem requiring integrated SOPs.

    Before: Isolated drills by individual state SDMAs. After: Integrated multi-state response testing 55 locations simultaneously.

Key Actors and Institutions

NameRoleRelevance
NDMA ExpertsTechnical evaluatorsThey conducted the July 17 assessment that exposed non-compliance with the IS 1893:2016 Building Code and called for stricter enforcement.
Multi-Agency Coordination CommitteeDrill OrganizersThey synchronized the Indian Army, NDRF, and SDMAs from three different states (Delhi, Haryana, UP) for the August 11 exercise.

Key Institutions

  • National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
  • State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs)
  • National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
  • District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs)

Key Concepts

Seismic Zone IV

A high-risk earthquake zone where the expected intensity is Level VIII on the MSK scale, requiring earthquake-resistant design for all structures.

Current Fact: Delhi is categorized as Seismic Zone IV with a ground acceleration factor of 0.24g.

IS 1893:2016 Code

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) criteria for earthquake-resistant design of structures, updated to include stricter criteria for urban high-rises.

Current Fact: A July 17 assessment found many NCR buildings are currently non-compliant with this code.

Sendai Framework (2015–2030)

An international agreement that shifts the focus from disaster management to disaster risk management, emphasizing 'Build Back Better'.

Current Fact: Exercise Suraksha Chakra was explicitly designed to support the goals of the Sendai Framework.

What Happens Next

Current Status

As of August 11, 2025, the region has successfully completed 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra', testing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for schools, hospitals, and the Metro across 18 districts.

Likely Next

Expected next steps include a comprehensive 'Seismic Safety Audit' of public infrastructure and a potential push for mandatory retrofitting of buildings that failed the IS 1893:2016 standards during the assessment phase.

Wildcards

A high-magnitude event in the Himalayan region could strike before the identified SOP gaps are fully plugged, potentially overwhelming the newly tested multi-agency coordination.

Why UPSC Cares

Syllabus Topics

  • Important Geophysical phenomena (Earthquakes)
  • Disaster and disaster management
  • Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

Essay Angles

  • The illusion of urban safety: Why buildings kill more people than earthquakes
  • Federalism in Disaster: The necessity of inter-state coordination in the NCR

Prelims Likely: Yes

Mains Likely: Yes

Trend Signal: rising

Exam Intelligence

Previous Year Question Connections

  • National Disaster Management Authority is headed by the Prime Minister. — The drill 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' was spearheaded by the NDMA, which functions under the direct leadership of the PM.
  • NDMA functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. — Tests the student's knowledge of the institutional hierarchy that coordinated the multi-state drill.
  • Earthquake basics including Epicentre, Focus, and Wave types. — Relevant for the July 10 event which occurred at a shallow 10 km depth (focus).

Prelims Angles

  • Delhi-NCR falls in Seismic Zone IV, which has a specific Zone Factor (Z) of 0.24.
  • IS 1893:2016 is the specific BIS code for earthquake-resistant design, not just general construction.
  • The Disaster Management Act of 2005 provides the legal mandate for integrated drills like Exercise Suraksha Chakra.
  • Exercise Suraksha Chakra covered 18 districts across 3 states (Delhi, Haryana, UP) simultaneously.

Mains Preparation

Sample Question: With 59% of India’s land area prone to moderate or severe earthquakes, examine the challenges in enforcing building code compliance in hyper-urbanized regions like Delhi-NCR. Discuss how integrated drills like 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' contribute to the Sendai Framework's objectives.

Answer Structure: Intro (NCR seismicity and Zone IV status) → Challenges (Illegal construction, lack of retrofitting, lack of building code awareness) → Analysis of 'Exercise Suraksha Chakra' (Multi-agency coordination, SOP testing, Inter-state cooperation) → Alignment with Sendai (Risk reduction vs response) → Conclusion (Need for a mandatory Seismic Safety Bill).

Essay Topic: Disaster Resilience: Bridging the Gap between Scientific Warning and Policy Enforcement.

Textbook Connections

Physical Geography by PMF IAS > Chapter 14: Earthquakes > Earthquakes in Delhi NCR Region > p. 188

Explains the Mahendragarh-Dehradun and Sohna faults that make the July 10 epicenter (Jhajjar) particularly significant.

Gap: Textbooks mention the risks but do not cover the specific multi-state SOPs tested in 2025.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth > Chapter 68: NDMA > Functions > p. 518

Outlines the hierarchy of NDMA, SDMA, and DDMA which was utilized for the August 11 drill.

Gap: Laxmikanth provides the structure; this arc provides the operational reality of how they work across state borders.

Quick Revision

  • Magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Jhajjar, Haryana on July 10, 2025.
  • Delhi-NCR is located in Seismic Zone IV (High Risk).
  • Ground acceleration factor for Zone IV is 0.24g.
  • IS 1893:2016 is the mandatory code for seismic design of structures.
  • Exercise Suraksha Chakra (Aug 11) covered 55 locations in 18 districts.
  • Participating states in the drill: Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Disaster Management Act 2005 provides the framework for NDMA/SDMA/DDMA roles.
  • Sendai Framework (2015-2030) goals include reducing disaster mortality and improving preparedness.

Key Takeaway

The Delhi-NCR arc demonstrates that while moderate tremors act as nature's warning, resilience depends on translating building codes (IS 1893) into enforceable policy and testing inter-state coordination via integrated drills.

All Events in This Story (3 items)

  1. 2025-07-10 [Geography] — Earthquake hits Delhi-NCR
    An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Jhajjar, Haryana, with tremors felt in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad. The earthquake occurred at 9:04 am at a depth of 10 km.
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Not exam-relevant

    Key Facts:

    • Earthquake
    • Magnitude 4.4
    • Jhajjar
    • Haryana
    • Delhi-NCR
    • 09:04 am
    • 10 km depth
  2. 2025-07-17 [Geography] — Earthquake Risks Due to Urban Growth in India
    Delhi, located in Seismic Zone IV, faces increasing earthquake risks due to rapid urbanization and non-compliance with safety standards; many buildings do not meet the IS 1893:2016 Code. A recent earthquake in Delhi exposed serious gaps in urban seismic resilience, prompting experts to call for strict enforcement of seismic codes nationwide.
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Delhi faces increasing earthquake risks due to rapid urbanization.

    Key Facts:

    • Delhi: Located in Seismic Zone IV (high risk)
    • Ground acceleration factor: 0.24g
    • Non-compliance: Many buildings don't meet IS 1893:2016 Code
    • Himalayan region: Overdue for a major earthquake
    • NDMA & Disaster Management Act (2005): Established NDMA, NDRF, and SDMAs
    • Monitoring capacity increased: 80 stations in 2014 to 168 in 2025
    • BhooKamp App: Launched by NCS, provides real-time earthquake alerts
    • Earthquake resilience refers to the ability of infrastructure, communities, and institutions to withstand and recover from seismic shocks with minimal damage and disruption.
    • India expanded monitoring capacity from 80 stations in 2014 to 168 in 2025.
    • BhooKamp App: Launched by NCS, this mobile app provides real-time earthquake alerts to citizens.
  3. 2025-08-11 [Disaster Management] — Exercise Suraksha Chakra: Multi-Agency Earthquake Drill in Delhi-NCR
    Exercise Suraksha Chakra, the first integrated multi-state, multi-agency earthquake drill, was conducted in Delhi-NCR, covering 55 locations in 18 districts, including Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. The drill involved NDMA, Indian Army, SDMAs, DDMAs and tested SOPs in schools, hospitals, metros, residential complexes and supports the Sendai Framework (2015–2030).
    More details

    UPSC Angle: Exercise Suraksha Chakra: Multi-agency earthquake drill in Delhi-NCR.

    Key Facts:

    • Exercise Name: Suraksha Chakra
    • Type: Integrated multi-state, multi-agency earthquake drill
    • Area: Delhi-NCR
    • Locations: 55 locations in 18 districts
    • States: Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh
    • Agencies Involved: NDMA, Indian Army, SDMAs, DDMAs
    • Facilities Tested: Schools, hospitals, metros, residential complexes

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