STAFF Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 24 – The Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers’ Association (AREIDA) today assured the people that most of the buildings in Guwahati, including the high-rise ones, have been built strictly adhering to the safety standards set by the government. The association also warned of legal actions against those passing ‘expert’s comments’ on earthquakes to news channels and news papers, without proper knowledge of the subject.
“After the experience of 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, the earthquake-resistant code was redesigned as BIS: 1893-2002. This is mandatory in Guwahati and is legally enforceable along with other associated codes such as code of practice for earthquake resistant design and construction of buildings (BIS 4326) and ductility requirement (BIS 13920),” said AREIDA president PK Sarma in a press meet here today.
There are 85,000 buildings of various types in Guwahati and over 1,500 of them are above four-storey.
While finalizing the earthquake codes, due consideration is given to affordability of the Indian citizens as the building cost of fully earthquake-proof buildings has gone up many times.
As per the set norms, no damage in the building is permissible during the minor earthquakes. During moderate earthquakes, non-structural damages like cracks in non load bearing brickwork, damage to plaster and other non structural members is permissible. During major earthquakes, the building must withstand collapse; even structural damage in the forms of cracks in RCC frame is possible, as per the norms, he said.
“Bhuj earthquake was the first major tremor in urban area in past 50 years, which was measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. Comparatively, the last earthquake of the magnitude of 6.2 has not done any major damage in Guwahati, except the tilting of one building and some minor non-structural damages on a few other apartments. It proves the structural strength of the buildings of the city,” Sarma claimed.
“The buildings have already faced 55 per cent of the maximum earthquake design load during the last jolt,” he added.
Referring to the Jagabandhu Apartment of Bhangagarh, which got tilted due to the September 21 earthquake, he said that the cause of the incident has to be investigated by structural experts using the techniques like X-Ray, rebound hammer, ultrasound along with the detail measurement of movement and analysis of structural design.
“The builder, Padum Gogoi, is constantly in touch with his clients and necessary steps would be taken after the tests are done,” he added.
“The Government of India has officially appointed IIT-Guwahati as a National Resource Centre for Earthquake Engineering and attached Assam and Jorhat Engineering Colleges to it for assistance. Technical opinion should be sought from these authorities,” he said.
“All sorts of professionals like geologists, geography professors, environment engineers, automobile engineers, among others, are giving their comments to the media on earthquake and building safety, spreading more panic than information,” he added.
“We are seriously thinking about filing defamation suits against those who have spread panic among the common people with their reckless comments in the media,” he said.
GUWAHATI, Sept 24 – The Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers’ Association (AREIDA) today assured the people that most of the buildings in Guwahati, including the high-rise ones, have been built strictly adhering to the safety standards set by the government. The association also warned of legal actions against those passing ‘expert’s comments’ on earthquakes to news channels and news papers, without proper knowledge of the subject.
“After the experience of 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, the earthquake-resistant code was redesigned as BIS: 1893-2002. This is mandatory in Guwahati and is legally enforceable along with other associated codes such as code of practice for earthquake resistant design and construction of buildings (BIS 4326) and ductility requirement (BIS 13920),” said AREIDA president PK Sarma in a press meet here today.
There are 85,000 buildings of various types in Guwahati and over 1,500 of them are above four-storey.
While finalizing the earthquake codes, due consideration is given to affordability of the Indian citizens as the building cost of fully earthquake-proof buildings has gone up many times.
As per the set norms, no damage in the building is permissible during the minor earthquakes. During moderate earthquakes, non-structural damages like cracks in non load bearing brickwork, damage to plaster and other non structural members is permissible. During major earthquakes, the building must withstand collapse; even structural damage in the forms of cracks in RCC frame is possible, as per the norms, he said.
“Bhuj earthquake was the first major tremor in urban area in past 50 years, which was measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. Comparatively, the last earthquake of the magnitude of 6.2 has not done any major damage in Guwahati, except the tilting of one building and some minor non-structural damages on a few other apartments. It proves the structural strength of the buildings of the city,” Sarma claimed.
“The buildings have already faced 55 per cent of the maximum earthquake design load during the last jolt,” he added.
Referring to the Jagabandhu Apartment of Bhangagarh, which got tilted due to the September 21 earthquake, he said that the cause of the incident has to be investigated by structural experts using the techniques like X-Ray, rebound hammer, ultrasound along with the detail measurement of movement and analysis of structural design.
“The builder, Padum Gogoi, is constantly in touch with his clients and necessary steps would be taken after the tests are done,” he added.
“The Government of India has officially appointed IIT-Guwahati as a National Resource Centre for Earthquake Engineering and attached Assam and Jorhat Engineering Colleges to it for assistance. Technical opinion should be sought from these authorities,” he said.
“All sorts of professionals like geologists, geography professors, environment engineers, automobile engineers, among others, are giving their comments to the media on earthquake and building safety, spreading more panic than information,” he added.
“We are seriously thinking about filing defamation suits against those who have spread panic among the common people with their reckless comments in the media,” he said.
Soruce:http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=sep2509/at08
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