Cannot predict earthquakes, government tells Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Technology to predict earthquakes has not been developed yet, government today said in Lok Sabha as members expressed concern over the massive destruction caused by the recent temblor in Nepal and wondered whether the disaster could be forecast.

Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh said India was second to none in the world in space technology but predicting quakes was still a work in progress the world over.

"As far as space technology is concerned, mechanism to predict earthquake has not been developed yet," he said replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour.

It is only by "indirect" means, like changes in water wave pattern or temperature anomalies that experts look for signs of the natural disaster.

Singh also noted that his department had been quick in flagging the likelihood of floods in Jammu and Kashmir as well as cyclone in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

His department was also releasing satellite pictures to inform authorities about the damages suffered by different regions in quakes as well as floods.