Hyderabad: Seismologists call it completely unfounded and scientifically unfounded, a social media post predicting a “major earthquake” in southern India, especially near Ramagundam in Telangana. Scientists urge the public not to fail with misinformation.
The post was shared by a page on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that a magnitude 5 earthquake could occur near Ramagundam from April 10 to April 17. It shows that tremors can extend to parts of Hyderabad, Valangar, Amalawati, and even Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
At the time of writing, the tweet received over 24,000 views and was widely revisited despite lack of any endorsement from the official scientific institutions.
Scientists at the National Geophysics Institute of Hyderabad (NGRI) directly dismissed the post. “There is absolutely no scientific method to predict the timing, location or size of an earthquake today,” said Dr. Devender Kumar, chief scientist of CSIR-NGRI Paleology.
“This prediction is not only inaccurate, but also inaccurate and irresponsible. People must stop spreading panic based on posts from unknown sources.”
Dr. N. Purnachandra Rao, former chief seismologist at NGRI, said Telangana remains one of the safest regions in the country. He explained: “The area is not close to any active tectonic boundary. Seismic activity here is usually very low. Even in Ramagundam, its impact is too small to be felt in Hyderabad or other remote areas above 200 kilometers.”
Dr. Rao warned against drawing speculative conclusions from fault lines, adding that although there may be fault zones, they cannot be used as the basis for predicting earthquakes.
Although parts of the past Telangana and Andhra Pradesh occasionally experienced slight tremors, no one caused significant damage. In 1969, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded in Ongole, while Adilabad experienced a magnitude 4.5 tremor in 1998. Hyderabad itself reported minor earthquakes in 1984, 1999 and 2013, but both have low intensity and no events. Scientists say these events are not uncommon for a country as big as India and a geologically different country, but they do not mark a high-risk future in the region.
Now experts are calling on citizens to remain calm rather than succumb to fear, especially when unverified sources share. “Don’t believe or circulate such predictions. It’s impossible to make earthquake predictions, and spreading such posts will only unnecessarily increase public panic,” Dr. Kumar said.
They added that authorities and scientific organizations such as NGRI and IMD (Meteorological Ministry of India) are the only reliable sources of seismic information.
