Being prone to earth quakes, people in northeast India should switch to traditional forms of house-building, including houses made of bamboo and cane, that are flexible and able to withstand tremors, local media quoted experts as reporting on Wednesday.

Experts at the Indian Building Congress (IBC) at Agartala, northeast India, called for on Tuesday strict adherence to the building code to make houses in the region quake-resistant.

The Geological Survey of India had earlier notified that the northeastern region could experience a devastating earthquake as the region, according to seismologists, falls in Zone V, the worst quake-prone belt in the world.

"Reasons for earthquakes are well-known. The vital thing is strict adherence of the building code so that the damage can be mitigated to a certain extent during any medium or major quake," Director General of Central Public Works Department (CPWD) C.S. Prasad said.

IBC's founder president O.P. Goel said that the traditional methods of constructing houses and buildings in northeastern states could be improved upon in terms of strength and durability, if reinforcement bars were used in every "joints and junctions" of the structures.

He said: "The traditional houses made of bamboo and cane are much more flexible in bearing quake shocks."