Earthquake in Maharashtra: 2.6 magntiude quake hits Satara district

Satara, Dec 23: A low-intensity earthquake shook Koyna region in Maharashtra's Satara district on Monday morning, an official said. Satara is located around 120 km from Pune. No loss of life or property was reported, he said.

The earthquake of magnitude 2.6 was recorded at 6.42 am, the state government official said. Its epicentre was eight km from the Koyna dam, he added.

At least 20 out of 35 seismometers in Maharashtra are lying in a state of disrepair, and 16 of these are located in seismic zones III and IV, an official said.

At least four seismometers in seismic zone III and 12 in zone IV are defunct, and they fall under moderate and strong earthquake categories, respectively, he said. The procedure to induct new instruments is underway, the official from the Nashik-based Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute (MERI) said.

A seismometer is an instrument used to measure and record earthquakes. "Seismometers have been installed at 35 locations across Maharashtra and these instruments were commissioned from 1963 onwards," he said. As time passed, these instruments turned defunct due to unavailability of spare parts and general wear and tear.