Recent seismicity in Delhi and population exposure to seismic hazard

Abstract

This paper makes an attempt to review historical and recent seismicity in Delhi and presents updated seismic hazard map of Delhi integrated with ward-wise classified population data. Earthquakes are not destructive unless other factors that enhance the damage prevail. Population density and types or quality of buildings in an area are two such important factors that affect the risk during any hazards, particularly an earthquake. This paper presents the details of the seismic hazard analysis for Delhi with the latest available information on earthquakes and seismic sources within 300 km radius around the city, using state-of-the-art deterministic approach. Ten different attenuation relationships developed for the active tectonic region were considered in the present study. They were ranked using log-likelihood method. Ward-wise population maps along with classified population maps were developed based on the 2011 census data. Hazard contour map and population maps are presented in this paper to revisit the seismic risk prevailing in the region. An attempt was made to overlay the hazard map with population maps showing the distribution of various classes of the population that reflects the seismic risk exposure to different wards of Delhi. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.