Averting natural disasters: Pakistan to lay seismic network

Pakistan undertakes an ambitious programme to lay a network of seismic centres across the country.

BEIJING: Pakistan has undertaken an ambitious programme to lay a network of seismic centres across the country with help from China, said a senior research officer at the Pakistan Meteorological Office on Monday.

“Eight out of 10 planned seismic centres have already been completed and started trial functions,” said Dr Ghulam Rasool, head of research and development at the met office. Rasool is in Beijing, China, to represent Pakistan at an experts meeting of Asia-Pacific countries from April 6 to 9.

The project is named Pak-China Digital Seismic Network and, Dr Rasool said, China has provided equipment and technical assistance for the centres free of cost.

He said that 10 such centres are already functioning while two for Balochistan are in the pipeline. These centres, he explained, will record data and information which would be transmitted through satellite to the met headquarters in Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th,  2011.