‘No seismic survey ever done in Kashmir’
The high magnitude earthquake that shook Nepal on Saturday has come as a grim reminder for people in Jammu and Kashmir with large part of the state falling in Seismic Zone IV and V.
Experts have voiced concern over the structural safety of buildings, including hospitals and schools, in Kashmir valley as no survey has been done in this regard.
After the October 8, 2005 earthquake which led to widespread death and destruction on both sides of Line of Control in Kashmir region, the state government had devised a Disaster Management Policy to be implemented in every district under R&B Department, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Srinagar Municipal Corporations (SMC).
“Municipalities/ULBs and government construction agencies/engineering departments working through contractors or on their own will ensure that disaster proofing is adequately dovetailed into the building permissions given by the ULB/other bodies. Non- compliance shall be treated as major violation amounting to demolition, of construction,” reads draft of the J&K State Disaster Management Policy, which has been prepared in 2011.
It said all new buildings—schools, colleges, hospitals- shall be compulsorily made earthquake resistant before handing over the building to the concerned department
“The concerned Executive Engineer shall certify that the building is earthquake resistant. He/she shall be personally responsible and action under law shall be taken in case of default,” the draft said.
Ironically, the policy has not been implemented so far making the population more vulnerable to disaster.
According to sources, government couldn’t do any seismic survey on buildings in Kashmir.
“Even hospitals and school buildings have been constructed without the survey. This will multiply the causalities as unsafe structures will fall on people even in case of tremors,” said a Geologist.
The draft policy had recommended retrofitting of old buildings, by introducing supportive structure for their compliance with seismic Zone-V needs.
“Facilities like hospitals, fire services, police, schools, water supply, bridges, flyovers and underpasses, electricity, grid stations, houses of VVIPs are critical in nature for post-disaster management. To ensure functioning of critical facilities, buildings occupying such facilities and falling in Seismic Zone-V shall be retrofitted. SDMA shall develop a clear cut retrofitting strategy at State level for this purpose. Safety audit of all existing Government buildings shall be done within one year,” it says.
However, there has been no headway in this direction.
Executive Engineer R&B (PWD) Asgar Watali admitted that no survey had been done about the safety and durability of structures in Kashmir.
“There is no such survey done in valley as there was no such proposal or direction from the higher ups,” he said.
Watali said the department had made it mandatory for vital buildings to follow the disaster guidelines.
“There is a clear guideline in our building and structural plan to include earthquake resistance clause,” he said.
However, he said there was no such mechanism in the department which will ensure all buildings are made safer.
Similarly, Joint Commissioner, SMC, Mushtaq Ahmad told that seismic survey had not been done. “There is no such survey done in Srinagar city. And it is not possible for us to make every house in city safe by forcing residents to invest money on making the houses quake resistant,” he said.
According to the draft disaster management policy most parts of the Kashmir Valley (11% of the area of the state) covering the Districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar come under Seismic Zone V, where around 50% of the population of the State lives.
“Rest of the State including whole of Ladakh region and Jammu Division (90% of the total area of the state) are under the Seismic Zone IV.”
