Effective building design using materials like steel and reinforced concrete, along with seismic dampening devices, can reduce building collapses during earthquakes and save lives. While developing earthquake-resistant infrastructure and retrofitting existing structures adds costs, the losses avoided outweigh the expenses for developed countries that can implement such measures. Less developed countries have difficulty affording such development.

1. ‘Effective building design and infrastructure development can greatly reduce loss of
lives during an earthquake.’
How far do you agree with this statement? Support your answer using evidence.
I agree to this statement to a large extent. Developed countries that have
effective building design will have fewer casualties during an earthquake as it can
reduce the collapse of buildings. Steel and reinforced concrete are able to withstand
earthquakes better than more brittle materials such as non-reinforced concrete.
Damping devices act as shock absorbers for some of the seismic energy released
during an earthquake. Damping devices also act as counterweights which move in
the direction opposite to the motion of an earthquake. They prevent a building from
swaying too much and collapsing. For example, the Taipei 101 building is made of
steel and reinforced concrete. A damping device is also installed in the building.
Constructing buildings with wide and heavy bases decreases the likelihood of these
buildings from collapsing. Base isolation bearings made of rubber or cushion can be
placed between the ground and the building. These bearings act as a buffer to
prevent the building from shaking too much during an earthquake.
However, constructing buildings that can withstand potential earthquakes
adds to the cost of construction and maintenance of buildings. It may also be
expensive to convert existing buildings to include earthquake-resistant features.
Infrastructure such as roads, bridges and dams needs to be developed with
advanced engineering to withstand the vibration associated with an earthquake so
that they do not collapse, or can be easily repaired if they collapse. Homes, office
buildings and factories can be fitted with trip switches that ensure all electrical points
are switched off in the event of an earthquake. This measure prevents fires from
breaking out. In Japan, machines in many factories automatically shut down when
they sense earthquake vibrations. Large underground water tanks are emergency
reservoirs for possible fire fighting after an earthquake. Underground water tanks are
found in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe in Japan.
However, developing infrastructure to resist earthquakes is more costly
compared to the normal infrastructure.
Therefore it is true that effective building design and infrastructure
development can greatly reduce loss of lives during an earthquake. However, only
developed countries can afford such development while the less developed countries
cannot afford it.