SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, August 13: South Sudan will name its first Seismological Observatory Centre in honour of Padma Shri Dr. Harsh K. Gupta, an eminent seismologist and alumnus of the 1963 batch of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad’s Department of Applied Geophysics.
The centre, currently under construction in Rejaf Payam, Juba County, Central Equatoria State, is being developed under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Mining, Government of South Sudan, and the Embassy of India in South Sudan.
Also Read- ED questions Suresh Raina in illegal betting app case
State-of-the-Art Facility with Global Collaboration
Funded by the Indian Embassy and managed by South Sudan’s Ministry of Mining, the facility will not only track seismic activity but also function as a geological data centre for research, hazard assessment, and disaster preparedness.
Officials from IIT (ISM) hailed the move as a proud moment for the institute and the Indian Earth Science community.
Dr. Gupta’s Pioneering Contributions
Dr. Gupta has made landmark contributions to seismology, including creating global criteria to identify reservoir-triggered earthquakes, predicting major seismic events, leading India’s tsunami warning system initiative after the 2004 Sumatra earthquake, and heading Antarctic scientific expeditions.
He last visited IIT (ISM) in September 2024 as the chief guest at the National Conference on Emerging Trends in Earth Sciences: Geohazards and Resource Management (ETES-2024).
Also Read- Jharkhand News: Silli tiger slips from PTR’s soft release centre into wild
Global Alumni Celebrate the Recognition
“This is a proud and memorable moment for all of us from IIT (ISM),” said Dr. Shib Sankar Ganguli (2011, Applied Geophysics), ISMAA-Hyderabad Chapter.
Echoing the sentiment, Dr. B.K. Rastogi (1966, Applied Geophysics), President of the Indian Society of Earthquake Science and former DG of the Institute of Seismological Research, called it “a moment of great pride for IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, and Indian seismology.”
From the USA, P.K. Gangopadhyay (1970, Petroleum Engineering) described Dr. Gupta as “one of the precious crown jewels” of the alma mater.
