A SYMPOSIUM held by the Myanmar Engineering Society at Hlaing University campus in Yangon on August 26 highlighted the need to take steps to mitigate the hazards of earthquakes in Myanmar, which is prone to seismic activity.

Society president U Than Myint said cooperation among government departments was needed to reduce the potential loss of life and property in the event of a major earthquake.

“We need strong cooperation from everyone to reduce the hazards,” he said. “We were not far from the earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami. If it was 500 miles closer, the damage to Myanmar could have been much worse.”

He said Myanmar needs to conduct more earthquake research despite limited resources, data and information.

He also said that educational campaigns about earthquake hazards and a credible seismic zoning system for the country were also essential.

A retired director general of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, U San Hla Thaw, said Myanmar’s geography makes it susceptible to a number of natural hazards, some of which are seasonal and some irregular.

He said seasonal hazards such as cyclones can be prepared for days in advance, but earthquakes strike without warning at seemingly random intervals.

More than 20 academic papers were presented at the symposium, which was attended by about 150 participants.

One paper detailed the earthquake hazards to Myanmar, pointing out that the country lies on the boundary of the Alpide-Himalayan Earthquake Belt, where powerful seismic activity occurs more frequently than many areas of the world.
Earthquakes occur when the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults results in a sudden movement of the earth’s crust.

Department of Meteorology and Hydrology records show that between 1917 and 2000, there were on average 22 earthquakes a year in Myanmar. However, the frequency skyrocketed to more than 200 in 2004, and more than 300 in 2005.

Among the strongest earthquakes recorded in Myanmar during the 20th century were a 1912 jolt in Shan State that measured a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale, a 7.3 in Bago in 1930, 6.8 in Bagan in 1975, 7.1 in Tagaung in 1991 and 6.7 in Taung Dwingyi in 1993.

The most seismically active areas in Myanmar are the Coco and Andaman islands, Sagaing Division, and Kachin and Shan states.