Quake resistant buildings

Earthquake that shook erstwhile Doda district on May 1 this year had become catalyst to a detailed study and analysis of post quake situation by a team of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The team has submitted its study report to the J&K Government. It has brought out some alarming facts about technically unsound buildings raised in the State. In the first place the knowledge of earthquake prone areas or the seismic map of the State has not become part of the stipulations for raising a building either in private or in public sector. It means that the engineers or builders engaged in raising new structures must be fully aware whether the site falls within or outside the earthquake line according to the seismic map. The second fault lies in raising unreinforced structures meaning that only masonry work is done and the RC requirement is ignored. This makes the raised structure not resistant to the effect of an earthquake. The report says that out of 20,00,000 houses in J&K State 18, 80,000 are largely in masonry and unreinforced. This makes them vulnerable to damages even when there are mild earthquakes. The reports suggests that the Government of Jammu and Kashmir should impose ban on construction of unreinforced houses and at the same time it should take steps that would make the raised structures safe against earthquakes. At least structures of public utility like schools, hospitals, cinema halls, hotels etc. must be made safe against earthquake effects. According to the expert opinion this can be done either by correcting the situation with the existing vastly built environment through seismic retrofitting or by amending the regulatory framework
Actually what has happened is that the Government has never instructed the departments like PWD to give wide publicity to the seismic map of the State, especially among the building companies and engineering organizations, not to allow residents to raise constructions on earthquake prone areas? This is what should have become the first condition laid down by the municipalities concerned. This also means that the engineering staff has to be made fully aware of raising earthquake resistant buildings first by not raising these on seismic lines and second not allowing the structures to be raised in masonry and without reinforcing. The report says that one important lesson to be learnt from Doda earthquake is that in the existing built environment have little or no earthquake resistant features.
The report has also focused on after ‘quake situation in the State. It says that there is no system with any amount of technical expertise that would make actual assessment of the damages done to structures by an earthquake. The J&K State does not have technically trained staff to make such assessments and study. It, therefore, become unavoidable for the Government to raise cadres of expert in assessing the damages happening in the course of an earthquake. For example, in Doda earthquake, a large number of houses were reported to have developed cracks. The State agencies did not have technically trained staff to make distinction in different kinds of cracks. Only technical advice will say whether the crack allows the building to be habitable after few perfunctory repairs or not. Again only technical experts can decide whether an affected building is safe for occupancy or not.
J&K State has had her share of woes on account of earthquakes in the past and at present. The 2005 severe earthquake is still fresh in our minds. We now understand that this issue can be addressed provided we become little scientific minded persons. There should be widespread awareness about the seismic line passing through the State. Secondly, raising structures in reinforced concrete is a must because it has enough of resistance potential as compared to structures raised in masonry. Thirdly there has to be a properly groomed and trained manpower to make dependable assessment of the damages done to structures in an earthquake. This will decide whether standing buildings in the earthquake divested are safe for occupancy or not. We hope that the State Government will take the report very seriously and act on the suggestions made for raising earthquake resistant buildings in future. The wrath of the earthquakes has to be controlled and there are ways we can do that.

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