Ulaanbaatar
President Ts.Elbegdorj raises earthquake awareness
PoliticsUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On Thursday, the President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj addressed the plenary meeting of the State Great Khural on the issue of preventing earthquakes.
This was in concern of the increasing frequency of minor earthquakes around the capital city. “The National Security Council held its first-ever meeting on earthquake issue in 2010, after the disastrous earthquake that struck Haiti. The council considered the disaster issue once again in 2014”, he said.
It is important to raise awareness of earthquake on the legislative level, noted the President. He highlighted that prompt information must be provided in case of emergencies. “Coherence between the information from various sources, released after the magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred in Ulaanbaatar last Saturday, made me quite concerned. People should be able to know what happened and what measures were taken”, added the President.
He mentioned that, according to the recent studies, 20-40 percent would collapse in magnitude 6.6 or more earthquake.
After this speech, a head of the Astronomy and Geophysics Institute S.Demberel gave brief information on the recent earthquake that occurred in Yellow Gorge in Bayanzurkh, the eastern district of Ulaanbaatar on October 3. The earthquake occurred in two parts with 14 times of magnitude 2.6 quakes. Ulaanbaatar experienced approximately 200 quakes each year in 2000-2005, whereas the frequency doubled since 2005, quadrupled in 2012 and increased ten times in 2013. Analysts have concluded that the earthquake activation is advancing with no indication of decline. Near Ulaanbaatar, a total of six faults had been formed, namely Emeelt, Khustai, Gunj, Avdar Mountain, Sharkhai and Mongonmorit faults. In the case of earthquakes in these faults, Ulaanbaatar might be hit by 6-8 magnitudes, said S.Demberel.
Brigade-General T.Badral, the chairman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), presented the emergency informing system, threats of earthquake and the buildings that might collapse during the disaster, as well as the required measures for preventing earthquake.
