unauthorized colony in delhi
– Photo : amar ujala
Earthquake tremors shook Delhi-NCR on Tuesday midnight. The blow was so strong that people came out of the houses. There was also an atmosphere of panic for many multi-storey buildings in Dwarka, Rohini, South Delhi and other areas to come out of the flat. There was no loss of life or property in Delhi-NCR due to Nepal being the epicenter of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
On the other hand, experts say that Delhi-NCR is in Seismic Zone-4. It is vulnerable to earthquakes. There is a possibility of earthquakes of up to six-seven magnitude here. If this happens, there will be a huge loss. There are about 50 lakh buildings in Delhi. It also has luxurious multi-storey buildings and houses in the Delhi countryside. A large number of four-five-storey houses have been built in unauthorized colonies. At different times, DDA, MCD, Disaster Management Department and other government agencies have surveyed the buildings. In this, the safety of buildings has been checked keeping in mind the seismic zone-4.
80 percent of the buildings are not safe in terms of strong earthquake
AK Jain, DDA’s town planner, says that looking at the data of all agencies, it shows that roughly 80 percent of the buildings are not capable of withstanding the shock of Zone-4. If the epicenter of the earthquake is Delhi-ANR and the intensity is also high, then the condition of Delhi can be similar to the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Bhuj also comes in Zone-4 only. This will be a big disaster, due to which it is not possible to predict the devastation. Governments have to take serious steps to ensure the safety of buildings.
Even government buildings are not safe
An official of the National Disaster Management Department, on condition of anonymity, said that the Delhi Secretariat, PHQ, GTB Hospital, Ludlow Castle School and the Divisional Commissioner’s office building are built on the old Indian standards. In the event of an earthquake of magnitude seven, these building blocks will collide. This can cause massive damage. Therefore, the buildings need to be strengthened anew. Retrofitting or structural changes can be done along with the repair of buildings as per the need. If all three methods do not work out, it is better to drop it.
Delhi-NCR in danger
Rajneesh Sareen, Program Director, Sustainable Habitat Program, Center for Science and Environment (CSE), says that being in Seismic Zone-4, NCR is definitely in danger, but construction is also going on at a rapid pace. 30-35 storey skyscrapers are being built in large numbers. The question is, so are these flats earthquake resistant? Will these flats or buildings not be damaged during the earthquake and the people living here will be safe? The answer is only negative. Let’s assume for a minute that government buildings may be fine, but in a large number of unauthorized colonies it is not particularly noticeable.
Strength of buildings consisting of many things
AK Jain and Rajneesh Sareen point out that the safety of high rise buildings depends on many factors. For example, the foundation of that building should be better. There should be enough space in the slab and beam, which can bear the shock. The bars etc. used in the construction should be tested in the lab. Failure to do so and the problem of water logging around the new or old building for a long time, lack of maintenance, non-painting or crumbling of cement on the building for many years, use of bad materials etc. also make buildings vulnerable. This type of problem is seen in every area of Delhi.
The High Court order of 2019 was not followed properly
AK Jain says that the High Court had ordered in 2019 that along with preparing the building plan of 30-year-old buildings, its structural audit should also be done. MCD had also issued a notice for this. Despite this, nothing special has happened so far. At the same time, Rajneesh Sareen says that in the notice that came at that time, it was only a matter of physical survey. Whereas they should have a technical check. The strength of the building cannot be estimated by looking at it. For that it is also necessary to test in the lab. On the other hand, MCD says that so far 4655 buildings have been identified in this case. Out of this, notice was given to 4463. Structural audit of 758 was conducted. 53 were demolished and 16 buildings are being retrofitted.
Government rules should also be followed strictly
Rajneesh says that after the earthquake in Nepal, new guidelines were also issued by the central government regarding the recertification of buildings or construction sites. In these, it has been made mandatory for old buildings to be recertified by structural engineers, but for this, patch test has to be done, in which a sample of concrete is taken and sent to the lab. At the same time, the rods used in building construction also need to be investigated, but what is happening? After 2007-08, the construction work is now happening at a very fast pace after Corona, but the rules are not being followed at that pace.
Metro is strong, will also take a shock of 7.5 intensity
DMRC says that such a standard design has been used in metro construction that there will be no damage in earthquakes up to 7.5 on the reactor scale. A senior official said that in case of earthquake in Delhi, train operations are stopped or slowed down as per the need. This will not cause any hindrance in running the metro.
Steps to be taken immediately to save Delhi
– Intensive physical and technical investigation of the structural design and construction techniques of the house.
– Get strengthened by not following the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards.
Repairs, retrofitting and structural changes as required.
At the time of purchase and sale of house, first of all it is necessary to see the security certificate.
Get your building reviewed for earthquake protection by a competent and experienced structural engineer.
Follow these methods during earthquake
During an earthquake, lie on the floor and go under a sturdy desk or table.
Maintain a firm grip on the table.
Try to go to the open space.
Do not use lifts or escalators.
After the vibration stops, use a ladder to reach the open space.
-If you are not near the exit door or are on the top floor of a multi-storey building, stay there. Don’t panic, stay calm.
-Stay away from power lines, poles, walls, false ceilings, beams, pots and other objects prone to falling or collapsing.
-Stay away from buildings with glass panels.
While driving, stop by the side of the road and come out of the vehicle.
Do not attempt to cross a bridge or flyover that has been damaged.
Delhi stunned by late night earthquake, people shared their experiences
At around two o’clock in the night, suddenly the building shook and woke up. At first I thought I had a dream, but when many people came out, they came to know that there was an earthquake. I also came out of the building out of fear. Other family members living on the lower floor were also woken up. The epicenter of this earthquake was far away, so only a slight tremor was felt, I think how frightening the situation can be if the center is ever in Delhi or around it. Vishal Bisht, Rohini Sector 15
At about two o’clock in the night there was a strong earthquake, the whole bed shook, I screamed loudly in fear, the rest also woke up, we all ran out, sat in the nearby park for a long time. Many more people had come here. Saurabh, Kakraula Dwarka
Staying at 1.59 o’clock in the night, there were two tremors of the earthquake, we were awake, the rest of the house was sleeping, woke everyone up because of fear, we live on the fourth floor, there should be no earthquake again in this affair The family could not sleep till morning. Archana, Mayur Vihar Phase-1
When the earthquake occurred, I was awake, my whole bed shook, for a while I could not understand what was happening, but when I looked at the ceiling, the fan was shaking, I went out with my family and there was a crowd outside Had happened. -Irfan, Gaondi village, Bhajanpura
Expansion
Earthquake tremors shook Delhi-NCR on Tuesday midnight. The blow was so strong that people came out of the houses. There was also an atmosphere of panic for many multi-storey buildings in Dwarka, Rohini, South Delhi and other areas to come out of the flat. There was no loss of life or property in Delhi-NCR due to Nepal being the epicenter of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
On the other hand, experts say that Delhi-NCR is in Seismic Zone-4. It is vulnerable to earthquakes. There is a possibility of earthquakes of up to six-seven magnitude here. If this happens, there will be a huge loss. There are about 50 lakh buildings in Delhi. It also has luxurious multi-storey buildings and houses in the Delhi countryside. A large number of four-five-storey houses have been built in unauthorized colonies. At different times, DDA, MCD, Disaster Management Department and other government agencies have surveyed the buildings. In this, the safety of buildings has been checked keeping in mind the seismic zone-4.