Over 20 mild earthquakes shake Karachi in 48 hours, experts warn of bigger quake
As the city experienced continuous tremors, social media was full of posts about a potential major earthquake. The debate took a serious turn when a private Pakistani geologist said he predicted the Karachi earthquakes well before they occurred and that a major earthquake was due on Friday and Saturday night.But Shahbaz Laghari, CEO of the private Earthquake News & Research Centre, offered a sharply different view.'Our research shows that a series of small tremors often signals a major earthquake is on its way,' he said, warning that 'the nights of Friday and Saturday are particularly critical for Karachiites this week.'advertisementLaghari added that his team had accurately predicted the recent tremors and urged the Sindh government to issue public warnings. 'Karachi has small fault lines in areas of Korangi and Malir that are causing minor earthquakes,' he explained.However, other experts pushed back on the doomsday predictions.'There is nothing to worry about for the people of Karachi,' DG Khan maintained.Karachi's Chief Meteorologist Amir Hyder Laghari noted the activation of a historical fault line in the region: 'The fault is releasing its seismic energy,' he said, suggesting the tremor frequency should subside within a week.PMD DG Khan, too, said there is 'nothing to worry about for people of Karachi.'Curiously, neither the United States Geological Survey (USGS) nor India's National Centre for Seismology (NCS) recorded any seismic activity in the Karachi region since Sunday, raising further questions about local monitoring and reporting systems.With inputs from PTI
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Bengaluru's deep-tech startup proposes ‘quantum' leap in cancer care
Bengaluru, Aug 3 (PTI) A Bengaluru-based bootstrapped deep-tech startup is leveraging quantum technology to detect cellular damage even before the symptoms appear in just hours, possibly changing the game for cancer care. One among the 20-odd exhibitors at the recently concluded Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Quantum Biosciences Private Limited's 'predictive tech" uses quantum biosensor to detect unique 'magnetic fingerprints' of oxidative stress in cells, allowing detection of tissue injury. When his wife was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy, Ravi Puvvala, Managing Director of Quantum Biosciences, who was earlier developing sensors for automotive industry, said he started exploring the possibility of using sensors to predict radiation-induced cardiotoxicity before irreversible damage. 'Radiation therapy is essential for treating cancer. But it kills not only the cancerous cells, also the good ones. This leads to long-term complications such as fatigue, cognitive decline, organ dysfunction and secondary cancers. It also potentially induces a heart disease or fibrosis. I watched my wife suffer because of some of these side effects," Puvvala told PTI. Existing diagnostic tools, such as MRI, PET scans and blood biomarkers only detect harm after significant damage has already occurred, said Puvvala. 'So, I wanted to use my experience in building sensors, and, you know, explore technology, understand how to optimise this particular problem," added Puvvala. He has been building technologies for the last 15 years, Puvvala said. Things took a quantum leap when he partnered with the Netherlands-based QT Sense, led by another Indian, Deepak Veeragowda. QT Sense was formed to take forward the 15 years of academic research done in this area at the University of Groningen. QT Sense's Quantum Nuova is a platform technology built for detecting quantum-level phenomena like subcellular free radicals and magnetic biomarkers. 'For the last two years, we have been researching various potential technologies for early stage diagnostics. We looked at classical sensors and quantum sensors, and we started quantum biosensors to leverage the potential of quantum sensors," said Puvvala. Puvvala said while quantum biosensors can tell us that there exists a certain amount of stress at the subcellular level, the next step would be to understand how to read them. 'Further research is needed on how to map the cellular stress to a potential biomarker, only then we can say, okay, we made the prognosis," added Puvvala. At the first edition of the Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, Puvvala reached out to researchers and other key stakeholders – including the government of Karnataka, academic institutions, acute care clinicians, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals — exploring this idea. 'To build this technology, we need a whole village. We need the engineering team, we need the medical team, and we need, you know, people like us, who can put all this together," said Puvvala. According to him, they still need to do a lot of validation with respect to the sub cellular detection. 'For the first time we're able to actually go inside the cell and measure all kinds of things. But now we need to be able to make sense of what these measurements mean through clinical tests. So we need to conduct tests, and we need to be able to come up with a diagnostic mechanism," said Puvvala. To this end, Puvvala said they would be spending the next two years working with various hospitals, both in India and abroad. 'We want to partner with cancer centres particularly, so we could get the necessary data," said Puvvala. Quantum Biosciences is at present incubating its foundational research capabilities at Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and at Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) in Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, he added. 'We are also talking to other ecosystem leaders and state-level innovation programs to co-develop a shared infrastructure that bridges deep-science research with clinical applications," said Puvvala. When they go past the 'very base-level mechanism", the technology, said Puvvala, would benefit not only oncology, but also nephrology, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. top videos View all It could even help India's most basic struggle in providing health care, he added. 'One of the things I've heard at the conference is that most hospitals are overcrowded because the primary health care and the critical health care have been combined into one. The quantum biosensor could, you know, reduce the primary health care overload, by precisely identifying those cases that need critical care at a considerably lesser time," said Puvvala. PTI JR ROH view comments First Published: August 03, 2025, 09:15 IST News agency-feeds Bengaluru's deep-tech startup proposes 'quantum' leap in cancer care Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Amarnath Yatra suspended from Aug 3, a week before it was to end
Amarnath Yatra will remain suspended from August 3 on both Pahalgam and Baltal routes as the tracks are being repaired after heavy rain, said officials on Saturday. Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that due to the recent heavy rains, critical repair and maintenance works are required on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. (HT representative) The yatra, which began on July 3, was scheduled to conclude on August 9 on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. However, authorities decided to shorten it by a week, citing 'critical repair and maintenance works' to be undertaken in the wake of the heavy rainfall. Kashmir divisional commissioner Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said that due to the recent heavy rains, critical repair and maintenance works are required on both the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. 'It has been observed that due to continued deployment of men and machinery on the tracks from tomorrow, we would not be able to resume yatra. The yatra will therefore remain suspended from August 3 onwards from both the routes.' Bidhuri noted that this year, over 410,000 yatris visited the holy cave comparison, last year saw more than 510,000 pilgrims pay their respects at the shrine. With PTI inputs
News18
13 hours ago
- News18
Yamuna water quality improved sharply in July: Environment Minister Sirsa
New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Saturday said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has reported a significant improvement in the water quality of the Yamuna river in July, with key pollution indicators showing marked progress compared to June. Sirsa attributed the changes to sustained government efforts under the Yamuna cleaning program. 'These improvements are not incidental or seasonal. They are the result of deliberate and sustained human effort," he said. The minister said that Rs 500 crore allocated for Yamuna cleaning is being used for upgrading sewage treatment plants, intercepting drains and preventing untreated discharges from entering the river. The DPCC collected water samples from eight monitoring locations, including Palla, Wazirabad, ISBT Bridge, ITO Bridge, Nizamuddin Bridge and Okhla Barrage, the government said in a statement. 'According to the report, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) — a key measure of organic pollution — dropped sharply. At ITO Bridge, BOD levels fell from 70 mg/l in June to 20 mg/l in July. At Okhla Barrage, it declined from 46 mg/l to 8 mg/l," it added. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), another critical pollution indicator, also showed improvement. COD at ITO Bridge reduced from 186 mg/l to 54 mg/l and from 100 mg/l to 30 mg/l at Okhla Barrage, the government said. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels, which were near zero in parts of the river in June, increased significantly at locations like Palla and Wazirabad, suggesting better oxygenation. 'We are not celebrating yet, but these results show our approach is working. The transformation of Delhi's environment is underway," the minister said. Sirsa also linked the progress on water quality to broader environmental gains under the Environment Action Plan 2025. Delhi recorded 29 out of 31 days in July with 'good' or 'satisfactory' air quality, making it the cleanest July on record. PTI SSM AS AS view comments First Published: August 02, 2025, 21:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
