Thailand had a rude awakening on Monday when a 6.3-magnitude quake struck Chiang Rai, causing extensive damage and prompting fears of new quakes. It was followed by nearly 300 aftershocks.
Although Thailand had previously experienced tremors from earthquakes, their impacts were largely minimal, thanks to the quakes’ low magnitude on the Richter scale, the epicentres being very deep below the earth's surface, or far from Thai soil.
For most Thais, earthquakes are a rare phenomenon that give brief excitement when the earth trembles, things fall from shelves, high-rises sway and people suffer from short spells of dizziness that quickly goes away when the movement stops.
The Chiang Rai quake has put to rest the long-held belief that Thailand is free from deadly earthquakes. It has also opened a new chapter for the country’s need to be better prepared for future quakes to reduce the damage ahead.
If anything, the quake revealed how little the public knows about fault lines in the country. They are not to blame.
Even earthquake experts admitted they had long neglected the risks from smaller fault lines, such as the one in Chiang Rai’s Phan district.
Of the main nine active fault lines in the country, five are in the upper North. The rest stretch from north to south along the western borders.
Little is known about the connected webs of smaller active fault lines that are equally threatening, if not more.
Any construction must take into account the risk of earthquakes. But without information about fault lines — both big and small — that people’s houses, buildings and public infrastructure are sitting on, we cannot prepare ourselves.
While state authorities must make information about active fault lines available, local administrative bodies must provide detailed information and maps in their own vicinities and enforce more stringent building rules and regulations. Public awareness is necessary. But even more important is enforcement of stringent rules.
In addition, emergency and earthquake training needs to be part of the school curriculum and building safety exercises.
The Chiang Rai quake also revealed that state authorities are poorly prepared to quickly reach and help those affected by the tremors. This is inexcusable given the fact that the country is no longer a stranger to natural disasters, and the various modes of communication technology available.
The fact that most earthquakes have so far happened in the upper North or in the West should not make Bangkok relax.
Geologist Panya Charusiri, chief of the earthquake research unit of Chulalongkorn University’s science faculty, warns of a a 30-kilometre active fault line near Bangkok, which passes through Nakhon Nayok, Saraburi and Lop Buri provinces.
Bangkok’s biggest threat comes from the Ongkarak fault line which, like the one in Chiang Rai’s Phan district, can cause damage any time, although it is quite small.
Apart from showing the country is not prepared to handle earthquakes, the Chiang Rai quake also put into question many new dam projects that increase the risk of earthquakes because they are sitting right on active fault lines.
The Kaeng Sua Ten dam in Phrae and Mae Jaem dam in Chiang Mai are cases in point. Locals who live near old dams are also afraid of deadly flash floods should the dams crack from the tremors.
Decommissioning old dams must be considered to avoid tragedies. New dams with tremor risks should be put on hold now that earthquake dangers are real, serious, and here to stay.