In what was the sixth minor earthquake observed in Karnataka’s VIjayapura district in a month’s time, residents of Basavana Bagewadi taluk on Tuesday, October 5, felt tremors as another earthquake of 2.9 magnitude on the Richter scale hit the area. People ran out of their homes to open fields in panic a little past 3 pm. The Karnataka State Disaster Management Committee said the epicentre was 2 km west of Masuti Gram Panchayat at a depth of 10 km. The maximum radial distance is 5 to 7 km. KSNDMC Managing Director Manoj Rajan said there was no loss to property or life due to the earthquake. These types of earthquakes do not cause major damages. The intensity is too low and there is no need to panic. This is not dangerous, he reiterated.
Earlier on October 1 too, a low intensity tremor had hit the area. However, the authorities maintained that the intensity of the tremor was too low to cause any harm to life or property. During the past week alone, Vijayapura was shaken by a quake of magnitude 3.1 and two between 2.0 and 3.0. The biggest quake was reported south of Bijapur city on October 1 and the most recent was reported on October 2 with a magnitude of 2.3. Experts say that frequent tremors are occurring due to south Indian plates moving towards north India. Earlier in September an earthquake of 3.9 on the Richter scale was reported in the district along with neighbouring Bagalkot district. That time the epicentre of the earthquake was in adjoining Maharashtra’s Kolhapur.
Owing to the high occurrence of these events in the district and surrounding areas, the state government is likely to constitute a subcommittee for an in-depth study. Earlier, another minor earthquake of 2.3 magnitude on the Richter scale was reported in Hassan district in central Karnataka.