SRINAGAR: Srinagar, the heart of Kashmir and home to more than 1.81 million people, is once again under the spotlight—not for its beauty, but for its growing vulnerability to a major seismic disaster.
In the backdrop of alarming scientific warnings and the city’s fragile building landscape, people across the city and its neighbouring districts are now rushing to secure earthquake insurance for their homes, immovable properties, and other vulnerable structures.
Updated seismic hazard assessments have placed the entire Kashmir Valley, including Srinagar and its surrounding districts, in the newly designated Highest-Risk Zone VI, a classification that underscores the region’s extreme susceptibility to high‑magnitude earthquakes. Sitting directly on the collision boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, the city is exposed to the kind of tectonic stress that has historically produced devastating quakes across the Himalayan arc.
What makes the situation more alarming is the condition of the built environment. According to Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, a leading earth scientist and Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) at Awantipora in Pulwama district, nearly 99 percent of houses in Srinagar lack proper earthquake‑resistant structural strength. He warns that these structures—many of them built on soft alluvial soil and often constructed without adherence to safety codes—are highly vulnerable to collapse during a major seismic event. The city’s rapid, unregulated expansion, dense population clusters, and widespread use of non-engineered construction practices have collectively created a scenario where even a single powerful quake could trigger catastrophic damage.
Experts have repeatedly cautioned that Srinagar and its neighbouring districts—Baramulla, Budgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Anantnag, and Shopian—are “one quake away from catastrophe.” Many of these areas fall under the highest seismic risk classifications, with Zone V and the newly defined Zone VI covering much of the region. The combination of fragile infrastructure, haphazard urbanisation, and the Valley’s unique geological setting has amplified the urgency for retrofitting old buildings and enforcing strict compliance with earthquake‑resistant building codes.
Romshoo emphasises that constructing a building to earthquake‑resistant standards increases costs by only about 10 percent, yet the long‑term safety benefits are immeasurable.
This heightened awareness has triggered a noticeable behavioural shift among residents. Over the past week, thousands of people across Srinagar and adjoining districts have rushed to secure earthquake‑covering property insurance. Insurance companies report a surge in demand for comprehensive policies that include earthquake protection—something a standard home insurance policy does not automatically provide. Many homeowners who already held basic property insurance have opted to purchase add‑on riders or upgrade to specialised, all‑risk policies by paying additional premiums.
However, the rush for coverage has exposed another challenge. A senior official from a reputed Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance company revealed that insurers are increasingly reluctant to approve earthquake‑cover requests for buildings that are not constructed according to earthquake‑resistant standards. Properties built with proper seismic safety measures are readily accepted, but the vast majority—those lacking structural reinforcement—face scrutiny or outright rejection. Insurers argue that without basic compliance, the risk of total collapse is too high to underwrite responsibly.
Despite these hurdles, many residents have still managed to secure comprehensive policies. These policies typically cover structural collapse, partial or full damage to buildings, and destruction of household contents caused by natural calamities, including earthquakes. The sudden spike in demand reflects a growing public realisation that while earthquakes cannot be predicted, their impact can be mitigated through preparedness, safer construction, and financial protection.
As Srinagar grapples with its seismic reality, experts continue to call for a more disaster‑conscious society—one that prioritises awareness, strict enforcement of building bylaws, retrofitting of vulnerable structures, and long‑term resilience planning. The recent surge in earthquake insurance may be a positive sign, but without parallel improvements in construction practices and urban planning, the region remains dangerously exposed to the next major tremor, said an expert.
Meanwhile, amid the growing seismic warnings, several architects and structural engineers are urging the people of the Kashmir Valley to rethink how they build their homes—either by adopting modern earthquake‑resistant construction techniques or by returning to Dhajji Dewari, the traditional Kashmiri architectural system renowned for its remarkable resilience during past earthquakes. Dhajji Dewari, often described as Kashmir’s indigenous safety engineering, relies on a timber‑laced framework filled with small masonry units. Unlike rigid concrete structures that crack and collapse under seismic stress, this technique is intentionally designed to bend, flex, and dissipate earthquake energy, dramatically reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.
The term Dhajji Dewari literally translates to “patchwork wall,” a reference to its quilt‑like wooden grid (Dhajji) that is infilled with small stones, bricks, or mud mortar (Dewari). This patchwork design prevents large cracks from propagating through the structure, allowing the building to sway safely during tremors. Historically, these timber‑braced houses have demonstrated exceptional performance, surviving major earthquakes such as the 1885 Srinagar earthquake, the 1905 Kangra earthquake, and even the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, where many modern concrete buildings suffered severe damage or collapsed entirely.
Experts highlight that Dhajji Dewari’s strength lies not only in its seismic behaviour but also in its practicality. The system uses locally available materials—Deodar, Kail, or Chir Pine timber, mud mortar, and small masonry pieces—making it cost‑effective, sustainable, and well‑suited to the Valley’s climate and terrain. The flexible timber joints act like shock absorbers, allowing the entire structure to move as a unit during an earthquake rather than breaking apart. In a region now classified under the highest seismic risk zones, specialists argue that reviving this traditional method or integrating its principles into modern construction could significantly enhance safety and resilience across Kashmir’s vulnerable housing landscape.
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