Quake threat: Buildings too close in Shimla, say experts

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, March 22

How safe will be Shimla buildings in the event of an earthquake? Most residents must be grappling with the thought after enduring scary tremors on Tuesday night.

“Much of the city is built on solid rock. That’s a big positive. On the flip side, the density of the buildings is high, leaving little space in between. That will be big problem in case of an earthquake or any other natural calamity,” said Atul Sharma, a geologist with the Industries Department.

Sharma said the structure built on a solid rock would offer higher resistance at the time of earthquake than the buildings built on loose strata. “But the closeness of buildings leaves the city vulnerable. If one building collapses, it could take down several others along with it,” he added.

“And due to little space between the buildings, relief services such as ambulances and firefighting vehicles, etc, will struggle to reach the affected population,” he said.

Making the matters worse, the buildings are not only too close but also many of these have not followed the prescribed construction norms, making them even more vulnerable against earthquake.

“Many structures are not designed by engineers, soil testing is not done and bearing capacity is not checked. Such structures will be quite vulnerable in the event a high-intensity earthquake,” said Rajinder Chauhan, a former Town and Country Planner. “If the buildings are built following the recommended norms, they will be far more earthquake-resistant,” he added.

65% structures ‘vulnerable’: Survey

• Making the matters worse, the buildings are not only too close but also many of these have not followed the prescribed construction norms, making them even more vulnerable against earthquake
• Of the 2,795 buildings examined in the vulnerability and risk assessment (HVRA) survey carried out by the Shimla Municipal Corporation in 2016, 65% were found to be in the class of “high vulnerability”