Trapped By Tectonics—How The Indian Plate Collision Makes Afghanistan A Shaking Nation

Afghanistan is part of one of the most tectonically active regions in the world, located right at the edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate. This places it in a high-voltage breach zone where it interacts with two other main plates:

Indian Plate: The Indian plate is continuously moving northwards and being pushed towards the Eurasian plate; This process is responsible for the formation of the Himalayas and numerous earthquakes in the eastern and northeastern regions of Afghanistan.

Arabian Plate: The southward-northward movement of the Arabian plate also contributes to major geological stress in the region.

This continuous, multidirectional convergence and slippage along major fault lines such as the Chaman Fault results in frequent and often shallow earthquakes, amplifying the destructive power of these earthquakes.

Vulnerable Areas and Historical Destruction

Although seismic vulnerability covers a wide area, the strongest earthquakes occur in Eastern and Northeastern Afghanistan, especially in areas bordering Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. Even the capital, Kabul, with the highest estimated average annual earthquake damage in the country at approximately US$17 million, remains extremely vulnerable.

Moreover, the mountainous topography of the country turns earthquakes into landslides, which further increases the loss of life and property.

Nearly 100 “damaging” earthquakes have been recorded in Afghanistan since 1900. Some of the worst are:

• 2023: Several earthquakes kill more than 1,000 people and completely destroy villages.
• 2022: Magnitude 6 earthquake killed 1,000 people.
• 1998: Two different earthquakes that occurred within three months killed 2,300 and 4,700 people, respectively.

Building Durability: The Need for Seismic Safety

The list of recommendations from experts and international organizations for disaster mitigation and resilience to reduce staggering human and economic damage is long:

One way to ensure earthquake-resistant construction is to build new structures according to earthquake-resistant codes; Existing vulnerable buildings, many of which are constructed using non-traditional engineering methods, need to be strengthened to reduce the likelihood of collapse.

Although the Afghan government approved the Afghanistan Construction Code ABC in 2012, its widespread use and enforcement still remains a major challenge.

Monitoring and Mapping: Better monitoring and early warning systems need to be developed for timely warnings. Fault lines need to be precisely mapped using geospatial technology to inform urban planning and enable populations to shift from the most vulnerable areas.

The ever-looming threat of seismic disaster underlines the urgent need for comprehensive disaster preparedness in the country.

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