A seismological observatory located in a rented building in Maruthi Nagar of Vijayawada is waiting for the sanction of an acre in the city for shifting to the new location.

The Indian Meteorolog-ical Department has decided to install modern equipment in the seismological observatory as the existing instruments are outdated. The observatory was established in 1998. The Indian Meteorological Depart-ment has set up only two observatories in Andhra Pradesh, one at Vijayawada and the other at Visakhapatnam.

The Vijayawada observatory can record tremors occurring even 2,000 km away from the city. Vijayawada city falls in the third zone which is not considered either dangerous or safe.

The fifth zone comprises the north eastern states and is prone to devastating earthquakes. Vijayawada observatory records almost all major earthquakes in the country.

The revenue department allocated one acre at Gangireddula dibba for setting up the observatory, but this was dropped due to technical reasons, with the Vijayawada municipal corporation (VMC) setting up a drinking water plant at the site, resulting in sound pollution.

The micro earthquake recorder recorded the noise caused by drinking water plant turbines and engines used for pumping. Now, the VMC has decided to allocate one acre in another place.

Talks are going on between the VMC

and the seismological observatory for a long time for allocation of an alternative site.