Safe (re)Building_Earthquakes Risk Management

Safe (re)Building Save lives, by saving your home.

Build safer.

Build resilience.

Earthquakes Risk Management Public awareness campaign to households

INDIA July 2014

Is this information for me?

This message is for all the INDIAN households in the areas that have major risk of earthquakes occurrence.

Individuals are the front line of any risk management; they are the first agents of preparation, the first agents to give response in case of negative event and also the first that can possibly lose life.

A special interest goes to the individuals in rural areas where almost no technical support is given by engineers or architects.

These individuals are indeed the “architects” of the majority of buildings in developing countries.

That’s why they should be informed of the basic cares to make their houses hazard resistant.

“A majority of the buildings constructed in India, especially in suburban and rural areas, are non-engineered and built without adhering to earthquake-resistant construction principles.” 1i

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Know natural hazards in your area Which natural disasters affect the area where you live?

Let’s know them all!

Knowledge is the first step to better prepare for the risk or deal with a negative event. If you don’t know which risks are you facing, you will never be prepare for them! All the efforts that you do until now to have a good house, could be devastated in a few seconds due a suddenly hazard!

Your can loose your life! You can loose your home!

Is your home protected for natural hazards? It can be!

The Earthquake Risk in India “An earthquake is a phenomenon that occurs without warning and involves violent shaking of the ground and everything over it. It results from the release of accumulated stress of the moving lithospheric or crustal plates.” 2 “India’s high earthquake risk and vulnerability is evident from the fact that about 59 per cent of India’s land area could face moderate to severe earthquakes. During the period 1990 to 2006, more than 23,000 lives were lost due to 6 major earthquakes in India, which also caused enormous damage to property and public infrastructure. (…) All these major earthquakes established that the casualties were caused primarily due to the collapse of buildings. However, similar high intensity earthquakes in the United States, Japan, etc., do not lead to such enormous loss of lives, as the structures in these countries are built with structural mitigation measures and earthquake-resistant features.” 3

This emphasizes that much more attention must be given to the buildings, in the professional point of view but first of all by the householders.

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Where is your house? “ • To assess this hazard, locate approximately on the Seismic Zone Map of India the place where you want to build your house, and determine which Zone it is situated in. This map also shows the magnitude of the past earthquakes in the area.

• The entire country is divided in four Earthquake Zones. Zone II is where the lowest magnitude earthquakes can occur, the likelihood of their occurrence is low. Zone V is where high magnitude earthquakes can occur, and the likelihood of their occurrence is high.

• If the place of construction is in Zone IV or V, you will have to be very cautious. In Zone III, some caution is a must.” 4

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Safe Building!

Safe Re-building!

SAFE BUILDING!

It can save LIVES! The collapse of buildings is the major cause of mortality during earthquakes.

“Earthquakes don’t kill people, unsafe buildings do!” 5 It can save HOMES! “Housing is needed because people require protection from the nature’s harsh elements: rain, snow, sun or wind. However, home is more than a minimal long-term space for living. Having a place, rather than a space, opens doors to opportunities. It helps a person to develop, stay healthy, get a better job and prosper in life.” 6 Protect your family!

Protect your home!

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What happens during an earthquake!

Disaster Resistant construction principles 7

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Build stronger, smarter and safer!

Safe construction practices 8

In earthquake-prone areas in India, all the new structures and buildings should be constructed in accordance with earthquakeresistant construction techniques, codes and other regulations that already in force. See the specific illustrative guidelines presented by the state government for your seismic area.

Here you have some general safe construction practices.

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I have already a house.

What can I do?

In India, “There are approximately 12 crore buildings in seismic Zones III, IV and V. Most of these buildings are not earthquake-resistant and are potentially vulnerable to collapse in the event of a high intensity earthquake.” 9

Basic Cares with non-structural elements • “Repair deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.

• Anchor overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling.

• Follow BIS codes relevant to your area for building standards • Fasten shelves securely to walls.

• Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.

• Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.

• Hang heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from beds, settees, and anywhere that people sit.

• Brace overhead light and fan fixtures.

• Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections.

These are potential fire risks.

• Secure water heaters, LPG cylinders etc., by strapping them to the walls or bolting to the floor.

• Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.

• Identify safe places indoors and outdoors.” 10

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Retrofitting your house To make your house earthquake resistant, there are other possible measures to retrofit it. Please get in touch with your community representatives to find out more information in technical documents.

“Seismic

retrofitting is a specialized

technical task which needs to be handled by engineers proficient in this field.”

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Insurance “For most people, their home is their single most valuable possession and their biggest investment. (...) It’s difficult to think about losing your home due to a natural disaster.” 12 While undertaking measures to a safer building or a seismic retrofitting, if it’s possible, you can buy insurance to cover the value of our home and its contents.

“Insurance companies will be encouraged to introduce innovative insurance schemes in moderate and high earthquake risk zones in consultation with the ULBs and respective Disaster Management Authorities (DMAs).” 13

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Participate!

Participate in your community earthquake preparedness and mitigation events!

There are workshops, seminars, public demonstration and awareness campaigns to give you more information about earthquakes and precisely earthquake-resistant construction techniques, seismic safety and seismic risk reduction. For example, shake tables with half-scale models that imitate earthquake forces, like you can see bellow.

Take a look at it!

“In rural and semi-urban areas, the public buildings like post offices, primary schools and primary health centres (..) will be used as demonstration buildings.� 14

For further information and technical support about your specific Indian earthquake zone:

Do you need more information?

> adress to the local representatives > consult the information and documents available at the website of National Disaster Management Authority - Government of India

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LEARNING FROM REALITY

“Citizens architects” LATUR, INDIA 15

The role of households

“”We want houses on springs.” A man was speaking from the crowd that had gathered on the outskirts of a village in the rural Latur region of central India. It was October 1993, three days after a devastating earthquake, the first on this magnitude in 500 years. Local people had had no sense of urgency, no active awareness that they were living in an area vulnerable to catastrophic seismic activity.”

No Knowledge.

No Preparation

The role of State

“For months afterward no one would speak of stone or timber, let alone consider using these materials to rebuild their homes. Stone and timber had snatched away their loved homes. The speaker had heard about the latest technologies, like those in Japan. He was asking Sharad Pawar, the visiting chief minister of Maharashtra State, to use them in the upcoming government reconstruction program for the village.

In fact, at that time the Indian government was using technology – real and imaginary – as a symbol to reassure people that their new homes would be safer and more secure than those they had lost. Through advertising campaigns, appearances by official representatives, and word of mouth, the slogan “safety at any cost” made its way into the public imagination, associated with modern building technologies.”

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Not always a well done reconstruction

Modern buildings

“Stone was out, brick was in; mud mortar was out, cement mortar was in; mud roofs were out, reinforced-concrete roofs were in; rural house plans were out, and plans resembling those for city dwellings were in.

The new homes, in the end, were more expensive, smaller, mimicked the look and functions the houses suited to more urban contexts, and offered little additional protection against earthquake, as we discovered when we ran tests in the field.”

Real seismic reinforcement

Wrong preconceptions

Bad houses?!

“The government and the public associated modern, urban style “houses on springs” with safety. We learned that they were not necessarily safer, and indeed raised a host of other problems. Both parties associated traditional Latur house construction with danger. We found that neither the traditional layout nor traditional building materials made a home vulnerable. Its square plan in fact affords the maximum safety in an earthquake; it was the structural assemblies – specifically, the absence of certain features – rather than the materials, that put people ate risk.”

The role of professionals

“Working as an independent design team on contract to the Indian government, in 1993 we launched a project to design and build appropriate new homes in Latur. We wanted to incorporate aspects of vernacular construction important to local culture and the environment with innovations in structural design that provided seismic reinforcement.”

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The traditional houses: climate and culturally adapted

“The walls and mud roofs insulate them extremely well; interior temperatures are more or less uniform year around.

The inward-looking square plan opens into a central courtyard (…). The verandah is the most versatile space in the house and serves a variety of cultural functions. (…)

On hot summer afternoons they are naturally cool.”

Tradition can be still a good investment

State-recommended houses

“The first official state-recommended plans for earthquakes houses were drawn by city architects and engineers. They were designed for prefabricated concretepanel construction and had a discrete living room, bedrooms, and kitchen on an urban model. (…) They were initially attractive (…) but as the plans were followed, the allure quickly faded and problems arose. Building materials had to be bought and transported to the site, increasing expense and time for construction. Standardized room functions did not correlate to the necessities of rural life.

The feeling of personal security and privacy created by the introverted style of the traditional house was lost. (…) The houses were cold in the winter and so hot in the summer that residents worried that their stored seeds would not survive the season. Unlike traditional houses they needed electric fans, which increased energy demand.”

The dark side of “modern houses”

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Typical Latur Region House disaster resisting features for new construction

No need to avoid vernacular construction

Traditional housing can be earthquake-resistant!

“Often vernacular architecture and local materials are best suited to a particular climate and lifestyle, but in regions of seismic activity local construction methods must be adapted to achieve a heightened level of security.

In Latur (and other regions where we work) there was, in fact, NO need to avoid building with stone and mud. However, there are structurally sound ways to build masonry walls and apply clay roofs that help them overcome inherent weaknesses and render them safer and more earthquake-resistant.�

Vernacular house strengthened

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“Citizens Architects� is part of a report from a real situation in India some years ago, written by to experts who were in frontline of earthquake recovery (and preparation). It shows that to face the risks of our times, new ways of thinking are needed, and all the agents, from households, state and professionals, have an important role to play.

Cases like this prove that it will need a lot of time but we should persist because:

It is possible to change mentalities and build safer.

It is possible to be prepared for the risks and save lives.

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Notes 1 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.7 2 National Disaster Management Authority - Government of India http://ndma.gov.in/en/ media-public-awareness/disaster/naturaldisaster/earthquakes.html 3 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.1 4 Common Man’s Guide to Build a Hazard-Resistant House 2009, pp.15 5 Home Owners Earthquake Safety. National Disaster Management Authority. Government of India. pp.13 6 Habitat for Humanity. Shelters matter, July 2014 Newsletter 7 and 8 All the images are from the Manual on Hazard Resistant Construction in India, For reducing vulnerability in buildings built without engineers (2008), pp.19-28 9 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.19 10 National Disaster Management Authority - Government of India http://ndma.gov.in/en/ do-s-don-ts.html 11 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.19 12 http://www.homesite.com/insurance-resources/risk-management.htm 13 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.22 14 National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes 2007, pp.27 15 Text of the final section “Learning from reality” in “Citizens architects” Rupal and Rajendra Desai, National Centre for Peoples’ Action in Disaster Preparedness (NCPDP), Beyond shelter. Architecture for crisis. Edited by Marie J. Aquilino. Thames and Hudson. pp. 84-93 Images page 3 _ Common Man’s Guide to Build a Hazard-Resistant House 2009, pp.15 page 5 _ Manual on Hazard Resistant Construction in India, For reducing vulnerability in buildings built without engineers (2008), pp.19, 20 page 6,7 _ Manual on Hazard Resistant Construction in India, For reducing vulnerability in buildings built without engineers (2008), pp.21-28 page 8 _ Home Owners Earthquake Safety. pp.8-10 page 10 _ Beyond shelter. Architecture for crisis. pp.80 page 13,14 _ fotos_ Beyond shelter. Architecture for crisis. pp.86 page 14 _ scheme_ Manual on Hazard Resistant Construction in India, For reducing vulnerability in buildings built without engineers (2008), pp.65 all the other images_free download from internet Resources _ Website of the National Disaster Management Authority. Government of India http://ndma.gov.in/en _ India National Policy on Disaster Management, 2009 _ National disaster management guidelines. Management of earthquakes, 2007 _ Manual on Hazard Resistant Construction in India, For reducing vulnerability in buildings built without engineers. Prepared by Rajendra Desai and Rupal Desai, National Centre for Peoples’ Action in Disaster Preparedness (NCPDP), with the support from NCPDP team under GOI-UNDP DRM Programme, 2008 _ Common Man’s Guide to Build a Hazard-Resistant House. A publication of: Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Government of India. Prepared by: Rupal Desai and Rajendra Desai National Centre for Peoples’ Action in Disaster Preparedness (NCPDP), 2009 _Home Owners Earthquake Safety. National Disaster Management Authority. Government of India. Prepared under the Urban Earthquake Vulnerability reduction Project (UEVRP) _Beyond shelter. Architecture for crisis. Edited by Marie J. Aquilino. Thames and Hudson, 2011

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Risk and Opportunity: Managing Risk for Development World Bank MOOC final project | july

2014

Joana Marques, Portugal