This document discusses seismic disaster mitigation in Pakistan. It defines key terms like hazard, risk, vulnerability and disaster. It examines factors contributing to seismic vulnerability like poor building materials and construction practices. It analyzes the vulnerability of structures in Pakistan during the 2008 earthquake. Short-term recommendations include developing interim seismic guidelines and training local builders. Long-term measures involve creating a national seismic code, hazard maps, and retrofitting important buildings. The overall goal is to reduce future earthquake losses through improved preparedness, construction techniques, and risk assessment.

1. 1
Seismic Disaster Mitigation in Pakistan
Dr. Qaisar Ali
Associate Professor and Deputy Director Earthquake
Engineering Center Department of Civil Engineering NWFP
University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar Pakistan

2. 2
Roadmap
 Basic terminology - hazard, risk, vulnerability and disaster
 Factors contributing to seismic disaster mitigation
 Hazard assessment in context of the Oct 08 earthquake
 Vulnerability of structures in context of the Oct 08
earthquake
 Recommendations for seismic disaster mitigation in Pakistan

3. 3
Hazard, Risk, Vulnerability
and Disaster ?
How these terms are interconnected

4. 4
Disaster
An event causing widespread human or material
losses which exceeds the ability of the affected
community to cope using its own resources

5. 5
Disaster risk = Hazard x Vulnerability
Source: Satoru NISHIKAWA
Cabinet Office JAPAN

6. 6
Implications of Disasters
 A single disaster can wipe
out annual GDP of a country.
 Losses from the current
earthquake
 80,000 dead
 200,00 injured
 4 million homeless
 Economic losses more than
USD 5 billion
Disaster Reduction is a MUST for
Sustainable Development

7. 7
Disaster mitigation
Pre-earthquake scenario
 Realistic hazard assessment
 Reducing vulnerability through
 Seismic resistant design of
structures.
 Implementation of code, inspection
and monitoring mechanism.
Post-earthquake scenario
 Emergency preparedness and
planning

8. 8
Seismic hazard zoning of Pakistan and the current
earthquake
Geophysical center Quetta,
Met deptt. of Pakistan

9. 9
Realistic seismic hazard assessment
Realistic seismic hazard assessment is crucial because placing a
low-seismicity region in a high hazard zone will require
construction of costly structures thereby making them
uneconomical. Similarly, placing a high-seismicity region in a low
hazard zone will allow construction of relatively weaker
structures thereby making them vulnerable to collapse during an
earthquake.

10. 10
Seismic Vulnerability
Low Seismic capacity of buildings due to low quality
of material, improper design and construction;
buildings constructed on loose soil, or constructed
in areas prone to liquefaction and land slides etc.
will make the structures vulnerable to collapse
during an earthquake.

11. 11
Seismic vulnerability with respect to
the Oct 08, earthquake

12. 12
Stone masonry buildings constitute around 40% of the total building
stock. (20% of it in cities and 80% in villages).
Approx 95 % of buildings either completely collapsed or got severely
damaged.
Undressed stone masonry Dressed stone masonry
Smooth round stones in mud mortar, or low quality cs mortars,
no bond beams, no proper connections

13. 13
30% of the total building stock (100% of it in cities, negligible in
villages) was un-reinforced cement concrete block masonry having
RC roof slab, out of which approx 50% either collapsed or got
severely damaged.
Low quality concrete blocks laid in mud mortar, or low quality
cs mortars, no bond beams, no proper connections

14. 14
Total stock of brick masonry building constitutes around 20%,
(100 % in cities, negligible in villages), out of which less than 5%
collapsed and around 15% got severely damaged.
By and large the brick masonry has performed very well.
Brick masonry building Muzafarabad

15. 15
Improper lap length
Less than 5% of the total building stock consisted of RC frame
structures with brick or block masonry infill walls., 100% in cities.
Generally performed well, The collapse and damage were found to
be the result of improper design, detailing and low quality material.

16. 16
Strong-beam weak-column

17. 17
Incredible

18. 18
Improper lateral reinforcement

19. 19

20. 20
Water tanks collapse occurred as far as 200
km from the epicenter

21. 21
Original position of
deck
1 meter
displacement
Life lines---Bridges

22. 22
Pipe lines transmission lines

23. 23
Massive land sliding washed out entire villages

24. 24
Letter written by Sony, a student in Nepal
Ref: Program on Educational Building, OECD
Approx 17,000 school children killed

25. 25
None-existence of
 seismic design guidelines and building codes.
 site specific ground characteristics for seismic
design.
 scientifically determined indigenous material
properties.
 trained professionals for carrying out construction
activities in seismic prone areas
 awareness of general public for realizing the
seismic risk.
 Implementing/regulating and inspection mechanism
for construction monitoring
Issues contributing towards seismic
vulnerability

26. 26
Emergency preparedness and
planning
In the post-earthquake scenario the
quantum of disaster can increase
enormously due to lack of effective
emergency preparedness and planning
strategies.

27. 27
Measures to be taken to
avoid disasters in future ?

28. 28

29. 29
Short Term measures
 For the reconstruction of the affected areas, general seismic guidelines and building
recommendations can be adapted from already established international codes. This
should act like an interim code and not as a permanent code for the country. To develop a
proper seismic code for the country will take time.
 The enactment of a law for strict enforcement of these recommendations is also
required.
 Training should be imparted to the contractors, masons, construction supervisors and local
government hierarchy at the union council and tehsil level for effective reconstruction
and rehabilitation activities.
 The design and construction of educational institutions, hospitals and other important
government buildings should be given special attention. The EEC should be involved in this
process.

30. 30
Short Term measures---
 Construction of new buildings in the areas prone to landsliding and
liquefaction should be avoided.
 Rapid assessment of damaged public and private buildings is crucial.
There should be authorized qualified technical professionals to carry
out these activities. (Fear among the people is so high that even some
slightly damaged buildings have been declared as uninhabitable.)
 Repair, strengthening and /or retrofitting of existing buildings
deficient in seismic capacity is also vital.

31. 31
Improving the seismic performance of masonry
structure-general guidelines (ref Eurocode-8)
Note: such arrangement provide overall
integrity and stability to the structure.

32. 32

33. 33
Long term measures
 Installation of strong motion net work
 Development of seismic hazard maps based on PGA and
PGV, liquefaction and landslide maps, micro zoning for
highly seismic prone regions etc.
 Development of seismic code for the country
 Seismic risk assessment for various categories of buildings
and engineering structures.
 Structural assessment of important buildings such as dams,
long span bridges, educational institutions, hospitals,
secretariat etc and their strengthening, if required.

34. 34
Long term measures (contd)
 Technology development for low cost base isolation and
damper systems for brittle structures.
 Development of repair and strengthening techniques for
seismically distressed local structural systems.
 Development of disaster mitigation methodologies.
 Seismic risk assessment for sustainability of life lines
including, highways, railways, Gas, Sewerage and Water pipe
lines and electricity transmission lines etc.

35. 35
Proverb by Japanese Physics Scientist Dr.
Torahiko
“Natural disasters will hit us by
the time people have forgotten
about it”

36. 36
Thanks