GSI officials install 3 monitors to study tremors in integrated Vellore

According to GP Ganapathi, professor at VIT University’s Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, who is also part of the teams visiting various areas, “the monitors were installed near VAO’s office at Kalanipakkam in Anaicut taluk, the second at the taluk office in Pernambut and the third at revenue inspector’s office in Vaniyambadi taluk in neighbouring Tirupattur district.”

Moreover, geophysicist and GSI superintending geologist OP Singh visited Palamaneri and V Kottah in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh’s Chitoor district, where two more monitors were installed, sources said.

Elaborating, Dr Ganapathi said, “The monitors are independent systems which record all vibrations occurring in three directions. However, as they are not satellite linked, each instrument will be visited by members of the team currently in the area to download the recorded readings on to laptops from where it will be sent to New Delhi to study the recordings.”

“In all three locations, the visiting team members are followed by locals, who want to know whether the instruments will alert them before the occurrence of tremors. We had to patiently explain them that the instruments will only record the event and that they were mainly meant for us to study the emerging pattern, if any,” a team member said.

The five monitors (including the two in AP) would be monitored for 45 days, the official said and added that if no tremors were recorded, then the instruments would be uninstalled and taken back.