The earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on Richter scale that hit mainly Balochistan in Pakistan on 16 April has stirred afresh the debate on importance of following earthquake-resistant building codes.
The 16 April earthquake was a stark reminder about the hazards and risks the earthquake-prone areas are facing, says Saif Muhammad Hussain, an earthquake engineer by profession.
Hussain, who is also USAID’s Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Program chief, says that one of the main reasons for widespread devastation and loss of life during the 2005 earthquake was the lack of earthquake resistant structural design and construction of the buildings.
While addressing an awareness program in Islamabad, Hussain said that hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost in recent decades in many parts of the world due to poorly engineered and improperly constructed buildings in high seismic zones.
“Due to recurring earthquakes, comprehensive seismic building codes, guidelines and standards are followed in earthquake-prone areas of the world. There is no early warning system for earthquakes. The only way to avoid loss of life and infrastructure is to strictly follow earthquake-resistant building codes such as the 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC), Hussain said.
Hussain informed the gathering that concrete walls, columns and beams must have extra steel to withstand movement caused by the earthquake forces and floors and roofs must be properly anchored to the walls, beams and columns to prevent their collapse on the occupants during an earthquake. He further said that strict adherence to the UBC codes in KP and AJ&K would enable buildings to withstand strong earthquakes, prevent collapse, save lives, and avoid financial losses.
