Earthquake Safety
Are We Prepared to Face…?
January 2016
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
Earthquake Safety
Are We Prepared to Face…?
January 2016
Urban Development Department
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
ASSOCHAM Corporate Office:
5, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110 021
Tel: 011-46550555 (Hunting Line) • Fax: 011-23017008, 23017009
Email: assocham@nic.in • Website: www.assocham.org
Background
N
ational Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the year 2014 announced that there
are credible reports that a magnitude 8 or higher earthquake can strike North India and
the estimated fatal casualties could be 8 to 9 lakhs. The entire Himalayan Region is considered
vulnerable to high intensity earthquakes which could adversely affect the lives of several million in India. If Nepal had taken heed to the NDMA warning the death and destruction could
have been curtailed. The prediction still holds good but very little seems to be happening on
this front.
There has been rapid growth in the last 10 years in all of the Indian cities. Construction of multistoried buildings, malls, large office complexes and infrastructure projects as a part of the process of development. This rapid expansion of the built environment in moderate or high-risk
cities makes it imperative to incorporate seismic risk reduction strategies in various aspects of
urban planning and construction of new structures.
Rapid Growth in Housing stock in India
Year
No. of Houses
Increase (%)
1961
10,98,00,000
-
1971
13,70,00,000
24.8
1981
17,08,00,000
24.7
1991
20,51,00,000
20.1
2001
24,88,00,000
21.3
2011
30,49,00,000
22.5
Source: NDMA guidelines for seismic retrofitting of deficient buildings
The last few years, the frequency of earthquakes has also increased. India has experienced 6
major earthquakes that have resulted in over 23,000 deaths and caused enormous damage to
property, assets and infrastructure. The immediate two years have been scarier with the frequency of quakes increasing drastically. Not only have the earthquakes within the geographical
boundaries of India but even in the neighboring countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan
have affected Indian cities. Office and residential buildings getting evacuated in the Delhi-NCR
region has been a common sight in the year 2015. Living in these times the pertinent question
to ask is, can India afford to play Ostrich to the potent threat it faces by burying its head in
sand.
“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
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Human fatalities during some past earthquakes in India
Year
Name of the Event
Casualties
Buildings Collapsed
1988
Bihar-Nepal Border
1,004
2,50,000
1991
Uttarkashi
768
42,400
1993
Killari
8,000
30,000
1997
Jabalpur
38
8,546
1999
Chamoli
100
2,595
2001
Bhuj
13,805
2,31,000
2005
Kashmir
~1,500
4,50,000
Source: NDMA guidelines for seismic retrofitting of deficient buildings
India has the second highest population in the world and so applies to the number of buildings
in the country. However not many know that India also has the maximum number of earthquake unsafe buildings in the world. Earthquakes don’t kill people but falling buildings surely
do and this makes India the most vulnerable place on the planet. The fact that about 60% of
India’s land area hosts about 80% of India’s population, has placed a question mark on the capacity of the buildings to resist effects of moderate to severe seismic shaking.
Recent Earthquakes Witnessed by India
Earthquakes Affected India in the Recent Past
Date
26-Oct-15
India, Pakistan,Afghanistan
28-Jun-15
Dibrugarh, Assam
12-May-15
26-Apr-15
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Location
Northern India, North East
India
Northern India, North East
India
Latitude
Longitude
Magnitude
36°14’45”N
71°50’38”E
7.7
26.5°N
90.1°E
5.6
27.794°N
85.974°E
7.3
27.794°N
85.974°E
6.7
25-Apr-15
Northern India
28.193°N
84.865°E
6.6
21-Mar-15
Northern India, North East
India
28.147°N
84.708°E
7.8
21-Mar-14
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
7.6°N
94.4°E
6.7
25-Apr-12
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
9.9°N
94.0°E
6.2
“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
5-Mar-12
New Delhi
18-Sep-11
10-Aug-09
8-Oct-05
28.6°N
77.4°E
5.2
Gangtok, Sikkim
27.723°N
88.064°E
6.9
Andaman Islands
14.1°N
92.8°E
7.7
34.493°N
73.629°E
7.6
Kashmir
26-Dec-04
West coast Sumatra
3.30°N
95.87°E
9.1
26-Jan-01
Gujarat
23.6°N
69.8°E
7.6
29-Mar-99
Chamoli district-Uttarakhand
30.408°N
79.416°E
6.8
21-Aug-88
Udayapur, Nepal
26.755°N
86.616°E
6.7
22-May-97
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
23.18°N
80.02°E
6.0
30-Sep-93
Latur, Maharashtra
18.08°N
76.52°E
6.2
20-Oct-91
Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
30.73°N
78.45°E
7.0
19-Jan-75
Himachal Pradesh
32.46°N
78.43°E
6.8
21-Jul-56
Gujarat
23.3°N
70.0°E
6.1
15-Aug-50
Arunachal Pradesh
28.5°N
96.7°E
8.6
26-Jun-41
Andaman Islands
12.50°N
92.57°E
8.1
31-May-35
Quetta, Baluchistan
28.866°N
66.383°E
7.7
15-Jan-34
Nepal
27.55°N
87.09°E
8.0
4-Apr-05
Kangra
32.01°N
76.03°E
7.8
26°N
91°E
8.3
June 12, 1897
Shillong, India
December 31,
1881
Andaman Islands
8.52 N
92.43 E
7.9
June 16, 1819
Gujarat
23.0 N
71.0 E
8.2
Source: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_India
What are Seismic Zones?
The seismic zone map of India has divided the country into four seismic zones i.e. Zone-II to
Zone-V. Approximately 56 per cent of India’s land area is vulnerable to moderate or severe seismic hazard, i.e. prone to shaking of MSK intensity VII and above which in lay-man terms implies
the kind of earthquakes which can seriously damage and collapse buildings. However the worrisome bit of information is that all of the countries metropolitan cities lie in these high threat
seismic zones, as the density of population and the density of the built environment is high so
is the risk. The table below shows the area distribution in various seismic zones.
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S.No.
Seismic Zone
Percentage of Geographical Area
1
II
41.40
2
III
30.40
3
IV
17.35
4
V
10.90
Source: Delhi Government –Paper on Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Analysis (http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/conn
ect/32a302004869aa2e9de0fd14d7cdf9d1/chapter+2.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=1682716207)
Major Indian Cities in High Seismic Zones
S.No.
Town
Seismic Zone
1
Guwahati
V
2
Imphal
V
3
Jorhat
V
4
Shillong
V
5
Srinagar
V
6
Amritsar
IV
7
Chandigarh
IV
8
Dehradun
IV
9
Delhi
IV
10
Patna
IV
11
Shimla
IV
12
Agra
III
13
Ahmedabad
III
14
Bhubaneswar
III
15
Chennai
III
16
Goa
III
17
Kolkata
III
18
Lucknow
III
19
Mumbai
III
20
Pune
III
Source: Bureau of Indian Standards Code IS-1893
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
Four Categories of Earthquake Resistant Buildings
Not many are aware that earthquake resistant buildings are of 4 types and the definition of
each as per the NDMA guidelines which is also in-line with the International definitions is as
under:
1. Category-A: Fully Operational level of earthquake resistance is defined as that the building,
its contents and utilities are shaken by an earthquake, but no damage occurs in either of
the above; the function of the building is not disrupted due to the occurrence of the earthquake.
2. Category-B: Immediate Occupancy level of earthquake resistance is defined as that the
building, its contents and utilities are shaken predominantly in their linear range of behavior
and only minor damage may occur in them; the use of prevailing functions of the building
and facilities is not restricted after the earthquake so that it’s functioning can be resumed
immediately after the earthquake.
3. Category-C: Life Safety level of earthquake resistance is defined as that the building, its contents and utilities are shaken severely in their nonlinear range of behavior. Significant damage occurs in them, but the building remains within its reserve capacity and does not reach
the state of imminent collapse. The use of the facility is restricted after the earthquake until
detailed structural safety assessment is performed to ascertain the suitability of the building for retrofitting. If found suitable for retrofitting, the building may be retrofitted.
4. Category-D: Collapse Prevention level of earthquake resistance is defined as that the building, its contents and utilities are shaken severely in their nonlinear range of behavior. Major
damage occurs in them. The building does not have any additional reserve capacity and is in
the state of imminent collapse. The building cannot be used after the earthquake.
Building Codes and Structural Design Standards in India
Bureau of Indian standards is responsible for making, revising and updating the building codes
in India. The Indian seismic code covers only the last category of earthquake resistance which
is “Collapse Prevention”. The earthquake in Nepal has shown us how buildings in India will
perform when the earthquake strikes. Nepal unfortunately followed the Indian Seismic Code
and therefore even the modern buildings in Kathmandu have sustained very extensive damage.
There are two main Indian seismic codes IS-1893 which has not been updated for 13 years and
IS-13920 which has not been updated for 22 years. As the buildings in Nepal too were also designed and built to the Collapse Prevention standard they have suffered extensive damage.
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The Indian building codes for structural design of typical reinforced concrete buildings are as
per table below:
S.No.
Number
Description
Vintage
1
NBC
National Building Code
2005
2
IS:1893 (Part-I) Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures
3
IS:13920
Ductile Detailing of Reinforced Concrete Structures
subjected to Seismic Forces - Code of Practice
2002
1993
Source: Bureau of Indian Standards Code IS-1893
Supreme Court Order on PIL No. 376/2014
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India vide its judgement dated December 05, 2014 on Public
Interest Litigation No. 376/2014 asked the Government the following:
1. NDMA undertake a public awareness campaign on a national basis through print and electronic media to educate the public about the four categories of earthquake resistant buildings and the detailed definition of each. The public awareness campaign be undertaken
immediately and continuously so as to sensitize all the public, thereby saving lives in the
eventuality of the earthquake.
2. All buildings housing more than 100 persons and all multistory buildings, more than 5 storeys high, both new and old, should have an engraved metal plate mentioning that the
Earthquake Resistant category of the building.
3. The advertisements of all realty projects should include the earthquake resistant category
as defined in NDMA document.
Can Disclosure Norms be Enforced in the Real-Estate Industry
A lot has been said and written about the realty sector and the good and bad practices being
followed from time to time. However the Nepal earthquake has brought to the fore important
but long neglected issue, the Consumer Protection Act was enacted on December 24, 1986
and is presently the law of the land that needs to be followed in letter and spirit. The Act was
aimed at protecting consumer interests and gave each Indian citizen six consumer rights. Two
of the rights which are relevant to this discussion are the right to be informed about the quality,
quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services and the second is the right to
consumer education.
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
The law intends that the consumers are kept fully informed and educated so that the decision
they take to purchase a product or service is an ‘informed decision’ and they are not misguided
to take a decision which may affect them later. With reference to real-estate transactions the
consumer protection law has not yet been enforced or challenged in the Courts for non-compliance.
All of the realty in India is being sold or let out mentioning that the building is “earthquake
resistant”, neither a buyer/tenant asks the definition/meaning of these words and neither the
sales executive is equipped to give a detailed and the right answer. Sometimes certain additional statements/words are used like “higher zone” implying that nothing will happen to the
building come-what-may. Not many realize that statements like these violates both of the
consumer rights referred above and if challenged in the courts of law can lead to serious
compensations being awarded as these statements are not only factually wrong but can also
expose the occupants of buildings to serious life threatening risks.
Category-D buildings are also earthquake resistant buildings and it is not illegal to design and
construct these, however the illegality lies in not adhering to the ‘Disclosure Norms’ in letter
and spirit.
Earthquake Engineering – Past Trends.
Shear walls: Not so long back, shear walls were one of the most popular and economical methods to achieve seismic protection. Their purpose was to give additional strength and stiffness
to the building and could be added to existing and new buildings alike. Shear walls are made
of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) for both RCC and steel buildings. However with the recent advances in seismic engineering and the numerous tests undertaken on shake-tables, it is
now a well proven fact that the stiffer a structure is built, the higher seismic forces it is going
to attract. In simpler words stronger and stiffer buildings will have to dissipate or absorb more
earthquake energy.
Braced frames: In this method diagonal braces are provided in the bays of the building. Diagonals stretch across the bay to form triangulated vertical frame and as triangles are able
to handle stresses better than a rectangular frame the structure is also supposed to perform
better. Braces can be configured as diagonals, X or even V shaped. Braces are of two types,
concentric and eccentric. Concentric braces connect at the intersection of beams and columns
whereas eccentric braces connect to the beam at some distance away from the beam-column
intersection. Eccentric braces have the advantage that in case of buckling the buckled brace
does not damage the beam-to-column or brace-to-beam joint. Bracing also suffers from the
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same disadvantages that the shear walls do and are losing ground to the damping systems or
energy dissipation devices as they are commonly referred. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake,
which took place northwest of Los Angeles, proved that steel-moment-resistive frames do not
hold up, the Northridge earthquake resulted in steel structures cracking along the web of the
columns and buckling throughout the assembly.
Earthquake Engineering – Modern Trends:
Dampers or Energy Dissipators: As has been brought out earlier whenever there is some damage in the structure it is associated with some energy absorption which is also called damping. With the advances in the seismic technology it is possible to add physical dampers to the
structure which can increase the energy absorbing capacity of the building just like the shock
absorbers in a car. Dampers literally soak up the energy of earthquake-induced motion and instead of the building swinging back and forth repeatedly as earthquake vibrations are transmitted; the building remains stationary as the motion of the dampers absorbs the energy. There
are mainly four basic types of dampers:(a)Traditional Viscoelastic dampers are stacked plates separated by inert polymer materials. They have proved to be problematic over a varying temperature range and have not
achieved much success in practical applications due to the somewhat undesirable added
spring effect of these devices. There are no manufacturers that manufacture purely viscoelastic damper.
(b)Friction dampers consist of sliding steel plates and work on the principal that when two
metal surfaces slide, friction heat is produced and energy gets dissipated. These types of
dampers are susceptible to corrosion and cold welding which has a direct effect on the
yielding threshold. There are also some associated maintenance problems.
(c)Metallic dampers consist of multiple steel plates which yield when a threshold force is
reached. In other words these dampers become active only after a trigger force is crossed.
As the metal yields, it dissipates energy. These dampers are required to be replaced after
every seismic event. Over a period of time they have also not been able to catch the momentum as the technology in the other damper field has fast progressed.
(d)Fluid viscous dampers have existed for a long time and were developed and used in the
aerospace industry. After the end of the cold war era the US government decided to make
this technology available for civilian applications and the seismic dampers are as a direct
result of that. Fluid viscous dampers are fluid filled metal cylinders with pistons and work
like shock absorbers. They have proved to be the most superior of the lot both for seismic
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
and wind applications. They can be installed both on new and existing structures. Over the
years they have become the most cost effective option.
Base Isolation: is a technique where in the structure is separated from the foundation by inserting base isolators under the building. These isolators allow the structure to move independently of the shifting ground below, thereby effectively isolating it from the ground motion.
Base isolators can be of the following type’s i.e. high-damping rubber, lead-core rubber and
friction pendulum. The effect that they have on the structure is the same. Base isolators made
of rubber stretch with the building as the building is pushed to one side by the earthquake,
then as the rubber seeks its natural form it pulls the building back into place. Base isolators are
not appropriate for all buildings and are found to be more suitable for squat buildings that have
a much larger spread than its height.
Contribution of Banking and Insurance Sectors
Banking, insurance and real estate are considered the three siblings intervened with one
another with more than one strings. Not to offend or undermine the importance of other
sectors but these three can be termed as the corner stone’s essential to any great economy.
All developing and developed nations have long realized their importance and hence these
are closely monitored and regulated by respective Governments and independent regulatory
authorities.
Lately banking and real estate are stealing the limelight. All business news channels and tabloids are concentrating their efforts on how the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Finance
Ministry are tightening the reins on the Indian real estate.
Today the real estate sector once considered safe is being talked of as high risk. In addition to
the fear of speculation giving a bad name to the entire industry there is one another uncertainty i.e. risk of a natural calamity like earthquake. 21st Century Finance (formerly 20th Century
Finance) went bankrupt after the Northridge earthquake of 1994, suffering a loss of 1.1 Billion
US $. The memory is still fresh amongst many bankers and insurance companies. Not to forget
that many other companies also with investments in real estate sector suffered similar losses
in Billions. Banks also face the dilemma as to what happens to the property loans disbursed by
them in case the very property mortgaged gets destroyed in an earthquake (all buildings being designed in India are aimed with protecting lives of occupants and not the building per se
implying that they would have to be demolished and re-built as there would be considerable
structural damage). Similarly the insurance companies are worried as to how would they pay
up the hundreds of thousands of claims especially in densely populated areas.
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From lessons learnt from Northridge earthquake in USA (1994) and Kobe earthquake in Japan
(1995) there does exist an innovative solution. Considerable research has been put into seismic
response of structures and means to protect them without structural damage. To start with
Earthquake Resistant is now classified into four separate categories depending on the anticipated performance in an earthquake. A key advantage of adopting higher levels of earthquake
protection is that a much lower interest rate can be negotiated with the banks for the particular project. Banks would gladly oblige as higher safety also reduces their risk levels. Insurance
companies will also follow suit in reducing the premiums.
Experience of Bhuj Earthquake
The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 caused widespread damage and destruction to all forms of built
environment. Surprisingly modern multi story buildings were the worst affected and collapsed like nine pins thereby triggering a review of the then existing seismic building code of
India. The severe economic losses caused by the Gujarat earthquake were not only restricted
to the local economy but also influenced the business environment and the stock market.
Thus, the economic impact of an earthquake in a metropolitan city like Delhi or Mumbai can
and will have primary, secondary and tertiary effects all over the country as a whole.
India has not yet woken to the threat and public awareness about the safety of the built environment is at an all-time low. National Disaster Management Authority operating under the
chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime Minister was tasked in 2005 to raise public awareness about
all the critical areas of disaster management including ways to mitigate the threat. Even after
ten years of its existence there has been not much movement. Hundreds of Crores have been
spent but sensitisation of people has yet to be done particularly related to the seismic threat
and actions that can mitigate the effects of this threat.
Critical Areas Needing Immediate Attention
The critical areas needing immediate attention are:
• public awareness through campaigns in print and electronic media
• need to make people understand the importance of structural mitigation measures
• monitoring system and penalties for non-adherence to the national building codes
• quality of structural engineers who are solely responsible for earthquake safety of buildings
is below par and the profession is unregulated
• no incentives for people and organizations going for seismic strengthening and seismic upgrade like import duty exemption for latest technologies like in Japan
• lack of formal training among professionals in earthquake-resistant construction practices
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
Approach Towards Earthquake Risk Management
1. Government should undertake massive public awareness campaigns
2. Builders should be mandated to explicitly spell out the earthquake resistant category of
the building they are constructing and selling
3. All buildings whose collapse can cause multiple deaths should have their earthquake resistant category prominently displayed
4. Update the seismic codes of India and get them at par with countries like Japan and
USA.
5. Corporates should use their good relations with Japan and import their time tested technologies of protecting buildings and other structures by absorbing the earthquake energy
instead of resisting the same and getting damaged in the bargain.
6. Government should incentivize the import of life saving technologies through reduction
in import duties and easier bank loans. Lesser the damage to the built habitat after an
earthquake easier it is for the Government to reach out to the population.
7. People should be encouraged to exceed and better the minimum code standards. The
concept of lower life-cycle costs of buildings needs to flow to the general population.
8. International experience has shown that the maximum gains from earthquake management
efforts are secured by strengthening the pre-earthquake preparedness and mitigation efforts.
9. Simultaneously the Government authorities should also improve the country’s emergency
response capacity.
Ongoing PIL in Delhi High Court
As per Government reports and a PIL presently being discussed in the Delhi High Court more
than 80% of the building in the Delhi-NCR region will collapse if a high magnitude earthquake
was to hit North India. The earthquake in Nepal is a grim reminder to all what an earthquake
can do and India as a country is already late for making a beginning and taking baby steps towards achieving seismic resilience. The authorities that need to spread public awareness are
to be pushing their efforts expeditiously. How will someone take any earthquake strengthening
measures unless he knows that he is staying/working in a place that is likely to collapse in an
earthquake. All of the population in India believes that if their building has followed the seismic
code than nothing will happen to their building if an earthquake strikes, this is a fallacy and
“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
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people need to be educated that earthquake resistant buildings are of four types and each of
these types is defined in NDMA guidelines. Any building designed only to the lowest seismic
category-D means that the building will be in a state of disuse and will need to be abandoned
after an earthquake. For people desiring higher protection they will need to get their buildings
designed as is done in countries like Japan.
Seismic Retrofitting
The prevalent high earthquake hazard, large exposure and high vulnerability indicate that urgent proactive action is necessary to save lives and property. NDMA has thus stated that retrofitting is not just an option, but a national urgency. There are valuable experiences of countries
like USA, New Zealand, Turkey and Italy, which have undertaken large programs for seismic
retrofitting of buildings and structures spreading over decades. India can immensely gain from
the experiences and challenges faced by these nations for seismic retrofitting programs.
Hospitals in India
Unlike other countries, India does not have specialized code for Hospitals thereby ensuring
that they stay functional even after an earthquake. Experiences from the Gujarat earthquake
of 2001, the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 and the Kashmir Earthquake of 2005 have shown
that disasters can seriously affect health facilities rendering them useless when they are most
needed. The children’s hospital in Jammu collapsed and so did the Government hospital in
Bhuj, reminding us the need for structural resilience and a specialized building code for hospitals that can guarantee higher performance.
Need for Coordination between Government Departments
One of the administrative issues that requires attention at the highest level of PMO is the perfect understanding and co-ordination between the Ministry of Home Affairs which is responsible for Disaster Management and Ministry of Urban Development which influences the shape
of policies and programs with respect to construction of buildings and development of cities
and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs which is responsible for the Bureau of Indian Standards
chartered to update the building codes. The need of the hour may well be to have a joint task
force handling the issue.
Recently, the Ministry of Urban Development has announced that it has given a go ahead to
FAR of 400% in the transit routes in Delhi. What this ruling practically implies is that there will
be a surge of 40 story and higher buildings in Delhi just like the many super-talls that have been
announced in Noida and Greater Noida.
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
Today India is ill prepared for highrise buildings as it does not even have the basic building code
for design and construction of highrise buildings. It is only logical even to a novice that the
building code used to design a 4 story building cannot be used to design a 40 story building, it
would simply be inadequate.
Last year (2014) where Ministry of Home Affairs through the National Disaster Management Authority came out with a public statement and huge articles in media that all buildings on stilts
were to be considered as dangerous as these would come crushing down in the event of an earthquake thereby causing massive casualties and the Ministry of Urban Development followed this
announcement with a policy guideline that stilts are to be made mandatory in Delhi for ensuring
parking space. As a consequence of Government policies and announcements thousands and
lakhs of buildings have come up on stilts not realizing that these are just death traps when the
earthquake strikes.
NDMA in 2014 has also announced that according to technical studies enough strains had developed in the Himalayan belt that a magnitude 8 or higher earthquake can strike North India
anytime and as per NDMA estimated the casualty figures can be in the range of 8 to 9 lakhs.
Bureau of Indian standards which comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs released
a document last year that it will be revising National Building Code and also come up with
a specialized building code for designing tall buildings in the year 2015. Neither the revised
National Building Code nor the specialized building code for tall buildings has been released
yet. These are absolute essential for constructing safe buildings with respect to earthquakes.
The two most important building codes with respect to earthquake safety are IS-1893 and IS13920, the first was last revised in the year 2002 and the second in 1993. It’s a pity that neither
the Nepal earthquake which has caused such widespread damage nor the warning by NDMA
that a magnitude 8 or higher earthquake is due anytime, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs
has not yet released the revised building codes as promised by it. However, Ministry of Urban
Development has meanwhile announced the revised FAR of 4, and therefore, the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs should on priority release the ‘Revised Building Codes’.
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ASSOCHAM
THE KNOWLEDGE ARCHITECT OF CORPORATE INDIA
Evolution of Value Creator
ASSOCHAM initiated its endeavour of value creation for Indian industry in 1920. Having in its fold
more than 400 Chambers and Trade Associations, and serving more than 4,50,000 members from
all over India. It has witnessed upswings as well as upheavals of Indian Economy, and contributed
significantly by playing a catalytic role in shaping up the Trade, Commerce and Industrial environment
of the country.
Today, ASSOCHAM has emerged as the fountainhead of Knowledge for Indian industry, which is
all set to redefine the dynamics of growth and development in the technology driven cyber age of
‘Knowledge Based Economy’.
ASSOCHAM is seen as a forceful, proactive, forward looking institution equipping itself to meet the
aspirations of corporate India in the new world of business. ASSOCHAM is working towards creating
a conducive environment of India business to compete globally.
ASSOCHAM derives its strength from its Promoter Chambers and other Industry/Regional Chambers/
Associations spread all over the country.
Vision
Empower Indian enterprise by inculcating knowledge that will be the catalyst of growth in the
barrierless technology driven global market and help them upscale, align and emerge as formidable
player in respective business segments.
Mission
As a representative organ of Corporate India, ASSOCHAM articulates the genuine, legitimate needs
and interests of its members. Its mission is to impact the policy and legislative environment so as to
foster balanced economic, industrial and social development. We believe education, IT, BT, Health,
Corporate Social responsibility and environment to be the critical success factors.
Members – Our Strength
ASSOCHAM represents the interests of more than 4,50,000 direct and indirect members across the
country. Through its heterogeneous membership, ASSOCHAM combines the entrepreneurial spirit
and business acumen of owners with management skills and expertise of professionals to set itself
apart as a Chamber with a difference.
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
Currently, ASSOCHAM has more than 100 National Councils covering the entire gamut of economic
activities in India. It has been especially acknowledged as a significant voice of Indian industry in
the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment & Safety, HR & Labour Affairs, Corporate
Governance, Information Technology, Biotechnology, Telecom, Banking & Finance, Company
Law, Corporate Finance, Economic and International Affairs, Mergers & Acquisitions, Tourism,
Civil Aviation, Infrastructure, Energy & Power, Education, Legal Reforms, Real Estate and Rural
Development, Competency Building & Skill Development to mention a few.
Insight into ‘New Business Models’
ASSOCHAM has been a significant contributory factor in the emergence of new-age Indian
Corporates, characterized by a new mindset and global ambition for dominating the international
business. The Chamber has addressed itself to the key areas like India as Investment Destination,
Achieving International Competitiveness, Promoting International Trade, Corporate Strategies for
Enhancing Stakeholders Value, Government Policies in sustaining India’s Development, Infrastructure
Development for enhancing India’s Competitiveness, Building Indian MNCs, Role of Financial Sector
the Catalyst for India’s Transformation.
ASSOCHAM derives its strengths from the following Promoter Chambers: Bombay Chamber of
Commerce & Industry, Mumbai; Cochin Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Cochin: Indian Merchant’s
Chamber, Mumbai; The Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chennai; PHD Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, New Delhi.
Together, we can make a significant difference to the burden that our nation carries and bring in a
bright, new tomorrow for our nation.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
ASSOCHAM Corporate Office:
5, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110 021
Tel: 011-46550555 (Hunting Line) • Fax: 011-23017008, 23017009
Email: assocham@nic.in • Website: www.assocham.org
“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
| 17
Miyamoto International
Miyamoto International is a global engineering; construction management and project
management company providing critical services that sustain industries and safeguard
communities around the world. We are experts in delivering post-conflict and disaster
reconstruction strategies and high-performance structural engineering that reduce lifecycle
costs and produce a positive net impact on a structure’s operation. Our broad spectrum of
services can be deployed to meet engineering needs or brought together to tackle the complex
challenges inherent in pre- and post disaster environments. Built on decades of disaster
construction experience in the field, our expertise supports how clients address the economic,
political, socio-cultural, sustainability and technical challenges involved in risk reduction and
post disaster recovery. Our experience in the field validates that minimum building codes
used for building and infrastructure development are rarely enough to keep businesses and
communities functioning after significant natural disasters. To this end, we can assess the likely
performance of buildings and infrastructure before natural disasters hit and identify specific
vulnerabilities. We can then develop prioritized solutions to limit business-interruption losses
and reduce property damage to acceptable levels.
Our portfolio includes working with the government of Haiti and the UN to assess more than
430,000 earthquake-damaged structures, then implementing the repair and reconstruction of
more than 120,000 damaged Haitian buildings and homes. We are an expert consultant to
the World Bank on a risk-mitigation project for 1,500 schools in Istanbul, as well as consulting
on post-disaster reconstruction in New Zealand and the Philippines. Miyamoto businesses are
strategically located worldwide in disaster-prone regions to positively impact economies and
save lives.
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“EARTHQUAKE SAFETY” – Are We Prepared to Face…?
NOTES
Assocham’s
Regional & Overseas Offices
ASSOCHAM REGIONAL OFFICES
ASSOCHAM Southern Regional Office
D-13, D-14, D Block, Brigade MM,
1st Floor, 7th Block, Jayanagar,
K R Road, Bangalore-560070
Phone: 080-40943251-53
Fax: 080-41256629
E-mail: events@assocham.com
events.south@assocham.com
director.south@assocham.com
ASSOCHAM Western Regional Office
608, 6th Floor, SAKAR III
Opposite Old High Court, Income Tax
Ahmedabad-380 014 (Gujarat)
Phone: +91-79-2754 1728/ 29, 2754 1867
Fax: +91-79-30006352
E-mail: assocham.ahd1@assocham.com
assocham.ahd2@assocham.com
ASSOCHAM Eastern Regional Office
BB-113, Rajdanga Main Road
Kolkata-700107
Phone: 91-33-4005 3845/41
Fax: 91-33-4000 1149
E-mail: manesh.sharma@assocham.com
ASSOCHAM North Eastern Regional Office
Global Express Group, House No. 7
Bye No. 2, Chandan Nagar,
Survey, Beltola, Guwahati-781028
Contact Person: Mr. Munindra Kumar
Phone: 09957999367
E-mail: ner@assocham.com
ASSOCHAM Regional Tamil Nadu Office
International Law Centre,
61-63, Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai,
Mylapore, Chennai-600004
Contact Person: Dr. Vinod Surana
Phone: 044-28120000, Fax: 044-28120001
Mobile: +91 9884491000
Email: vs@lawindia.com
ASSOCHAM Regional Ranchi Office
503/D, Mandir Marg-C,
Ashok Nagar,
Ranchi-834 002
Phone: 09835040255
06512242443 (Telefax)
E-mail: Head.RORanchi@assocham.com
ASSOCHAM OVERSEAS OFFICES
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
ASSOCHAM Corporate Office:
5, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110 021
Tel: 011-46550555 (Hunting Line) • Fax: 011-23017008, 23017009
Email: assocham@nic.in • Website: www.assocham.org