The 7.9 earthquake of April 16 has not only jolted a large area but has also stirred afresh the debate on importance of following earthquake-resistant building codes.
"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. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in recent decades in many parts of the world due to poorly engineered and improperly constructed buildings in high seismic zones", Saif Muhammad Hussain, Chief of Party for USAID's Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Programme (PERRP), now called Pakistan Reconstruction Programme (PRP) told media here on Wednesday.
"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).
Saif informed the gathering that concrete (shear) 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 collapsing onto occupants during an earthquake. He said that strict adherence to the UBC codes in KP and AJ&K (where this USAID project is working) will enable buildings to withstand strong earthquakes, prevent collapse, save lives, and avoid financial losses.-PR