Karnataka: Earthquake of 4.4 magnitude jolts Vijayapura; tremors felt in Belagavi too

News Network

July 9, 2022

Bengaluru, July 9: An earthquake of 4.4 magnitude on the Richter scale struck Vijayapura district on Saturday morning, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said.

The earthquake occurred at 6:22:14 am, epicentred at 2.3 kms NW of Kannur GP, Vijayapura Taluk, Vijayapura district (Bordering Vijayapura and Maharashtra region), it said in a statement.

KSNDMC Director Manoj Rajan said, as per the Seismic Intensity map of the said earthquake from the epicentre, the intensity observed is moderate and the tremor might be felt up to a radial distance of 30-40 kms from the epicentre.

"This type of earthquake would not create any harm to the local community as it is moderate, though there might be local vibrations felt. The epicenter falls in Seismic Zone III and the region is void of any structural discontinuities as per the tectonic map," he said, adding that the community need not panic as the intensity observed is moderate.

Tremors felt in Belagavi district

Mild tremors were felt at Shirhatti village in Athani taluk of Belagavi district too resulting in the residents running out of their houses in panic.

Tremors were felt between 6.10 am and 6.20 am on Saturday. Those sleeping on their roof sheds and the first floor of their houses felt the tremors and ran out.

The walls of old houses developed cracks due to the tremors.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Why Mangaluru Could Become India’s Next Offshore Wind Energy Hub

News Network

February 3,2026

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta has urged the Centre to give high priority to offshore wind energy generation along the Mangaluru coast, citing its strategic importance to India’s green energy and port-led development goals.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, Chowta said studies by the National Institute of Oceanography have identified the Mangaluru coastline as part of India’s promising offshore wind ‘Zone-2’, covering nearly 6,490 sq km. He noted that the region’s relatively low exposure to cyclones and earthquakes makes it suitable for long-term offshore wind projects and called for its development as a dedicated offshore wind energy zone.

Highlighting the role of New Mangalore Port, Chowta said its modern infrastructure, multiple berths and heavy cargo-handling capacity position it well as a logistics hub for transporting and assembling large wind energy equipment.

He also pointed to the presence of major industrial units such as MRPL, OMPL, UPCL and the Mangaluru SEZ, which could serve as direct buyers of green power through power purchase agreements, improving project viability and speeding up execution.

With Karnataka’s peak power demand crossing 18,000 MW in early 2025, Chowta stressed the need to diversify renewable energy sources. He added that offshore wind projects in the Arabian Sea are strategically safer compared to the cyclone-prone Bay of Bengal.

Calling the project vital to India’s target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, Chowta urged the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to initiate resource assessments, pilot projects and stakeholder consultations at the earliest.

Comments