Earthquakes do not kill people, buildings do: The saying is more relevant than ever as the vulnerability of buildings to earthquakes is ground shaking
Fresh tremors in parts of North India, including the national Capital, reported on the afternoon of May 12, have once again kept people on edge. With casualties of the monster quake wiping out more than 8,000 and leaving more than 17,860 injured in Nepal two weeks ago still fresh in people’s minds, we need a magic wand with which we transform our old buildings into earthquake-proof ones.
lasting for over 30 seconds in the national Capital with the epicentre in Nepal measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale this time around, while the tremors did no damage, the debate has begun: Are we living in a house of cardsIJ In a world of increased urban densification, rapidly expanding informal settlements and development that outstrips a Government’s ability to enforce standards, it is poorly designed and constructed buildings, not earthquakes, which are the real catastrophe.
An earthquake of Nepal’s intensity with its epicentre in Delhi or the 38 cities in India bracketed as high-risk earthquake zones will cause untold damage. With Delhi’s population nearly touching the 20 million mark, the city falling in seismic zone IV is sitting on a tinderbox. An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale could swallow a large number of Indians as about 344 towns have been identified as high-risk areas. The picture is dismal as it is estimated that millions of Delhiites would disappear if an earthquake of Nepal’s proportions were to shake us. It is not so much the temblor that could kill people as much as the shaky foundations of the buildings we live and work in.
Moreover, the scale of damage hinges on where the epicentre is. If the epicentre is closer to the surface or within city limits, the casualty numbers would mimic Nepal where remote villages and heritage structures have been reduced to rubble. Though the only destructive quake in modern times that devastated India was in 2001 in Gujarat when about 20,000 were killed in the State and many displaced, residents fear the ‘big one’ now more than ever.
Are buildings in India earthquake compliant to withstand such temblors as the one that pulverised Nepal is the question uppermost in their minds; the answer to which is still up in the air. The situation is alarming because the Indian Government is yet to heed warnings seriously. Seismic studies too have not got the attention they warrant.
In Delhi, about 1,639 unauthorised colonies — which have burgeoned with scant regard over the last two decades with builders flouting every rule in the book — are a disaster waiting to happen. Home to around 40 lakh people, builders in these colonies are known to follow little or no structural norms. A case in point is Okhla in the Capital where builders have a free hand in
flouting basic building laws. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) code is least implemented. Moreover, the Government agencies have also turned a blind eye to the illegal building activities in the unauthorised colonies. Colonies developed on the Yamuna riverbed are just as chancy. Any builder with money to burn gets his map passed without even getting a mandatory soil test done. Many builders don’t deem fit to consult a competent structural engineer.
like other unauthorised colonies in Delhi, Okhla too has no open space with most lanes narrow. Four or five-storey buildings with weak foundations can easily fall like a pack of cards in a moderate to strong intensity earthquake. The situation gets more complex as public awareness and preparedness about seismic safety is virtually non-existent in many parts of the country, including Delhi. The disaster management NGOs rarely visit such deprived localities to heighten seismic awareness.
On paper, the Government has ambitious plans to make Delhi’s structures earthquake-resistant. The ongoing National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project’s sole purpose is to quake-proof all new buildings in Delhi and other parts of India. The way forward is to build awareness among residents and mount pressure on Government agencies to go hammer and tongs at rogue builders. It is important that only registered builders fulfilling all criteria are allowed to build. Moreover, to minimise casualties, attention should be paid to building foundations and the soil.
If the building has strong foundations with sturdy columns and beams, chances of accidents greatly diminish, at least in metropolises, including Delhi, that have not witnessed any major quake till now. But for many, the quakes in Bihar in 1934 and Assam in 1950 are still a grim reminder of what could happen and what must be done. It is high time the Government girded up its loins and readied for a Nepal redux.
The writer is Deputy News Editor, The Pioneer