Indian scientists are drilling a mountain prone to earthquakes in Maharashtra to determine whether they are being caused by a local dam.
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They are drilling a hole on the side of a mountain in the Koyna region to analyse whether a local hydroelectric dam is a reason behind the many numbers of earthquakes striking the region.
The first earthquake in the region was recorded in 1962 soon after the dam was filled with more than one trillion litres of water. And since 1967, the region has experienced 22 earthquakes, with the latest one on June 3, 2017. While most of them are of low magnitude and haven’t resulted in much damage, a particularly intense one killed 177 people and injured 2,000 in December 1967.
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Seismologist Harsh K Gupta told The Hindu that the Koyna region "is the best site anywhere in the world where an earthquake can be observed". However, critics are wondering if the cost of the study, which is $73 million, is justified in a region where earthquakes haven’t caused frequent damage.