“During the tenure of Fr. Robin (Dec. 1898- Sept. 1904), the great earthquake of 1900 took place and the eastern bell-tower collapsed due to it. It was later rebuilt,” reads the historical record of St. Michael’s Cathedral, Coimbatore.
This is a reminder that the city is under the threat of earthquake. As per seismic zoning of the country, Coimbatore is categorised under zone III.
According to information available online, Coimbatore or nearby areas have experienced earthquake/tremors thrice in the last 200 years.
Though there are meetings and awareness programmes to make the buildings in the district safe (earthquake resistant), there are no norms that make these safety measures mandatory.
An official of the Coimbatore Local Planning Authority says, “There are no hard and fast rules to regulate buildings and ensure they are earthquake resistant. However, construction approval document says that Coimbatore is in seismic zone III and that measures should be taken for earthquake safe construction.”
With a large number of multi-storeyed buildings coming up in the city, it is imperative for the customers (investors and property promoters) to know about the characteristics of earthquake-resistant structures and the need for these in a building.
Customers should know the type of soil on which a building is to be constructed. They should also consult a structural engineer, especially for multi-storeyed buildings, and give importance to safety norms. When buildings are constructed by those in the unorganised sector, many of these norms are not adhered to.
“If you are constructing a structure in a seismic prone zone, go with framed structure so that the entire building does not collapse (ductile designing and detailing) immediately. This brings down the loss to some extent. Implementation of seismic designing will lead to higher cost of construction but the thrust is on safety,” says S.K. Arun Kamaraj, design head of Kaarvens Structural Consultancy.
Criteria
Secretary of Coimbatore Civil Engineers Association (COCENA) P. T. Jegan says, “It is also the responsibility of the government to be more stringent on the implementation of earthquake-resistant features in buildings, by making it one of the criteria for approval. Also, there should be a council for civil engineers to regulate such standards across the State.”
“The reason why people do not construct earthquake-resistant buildings is the lack of awareness about the seismic factors. The government should take steps to make all new buildings earthquake resistant, so that we do not add to the stock of existing unsafe buildings,” says A. Vadivel, a resident of Gandhipuram, who owns an earthquake-resistant building.
