Buildings Constructed in Armenia are ‘Deadly’: Seismologists, Architects Raise Alarm on Seismic Safety

An earthquake is a natural disaster which is impossible to predict, but to try to predict and to take precautionary measures to avoid human and material loses is possible. Speaking about seismic safety in the region at a press conference in Yerevan today were deputy chair of the National Survey of Seismic Protection of the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations Ashkhen Tovmasyan, seismologist Vladimir Balasanyan and Union of Architects of Armenia chair Mkrtich Minasyan.

“One of the main goals of ‘seismic zoning’ (a branch of earthquake studies) is to give reliable assessments of the maximum possible seismic hazard before starting construction work on any site, but regretfully, I have to say that the density of buildings in the capital has reached such monstrous heights that no rules are being considered,” said seismologist Vladimir Balasanyan.

Ashkhen Tovmasyan, in turn, believes that being protected against earthquake has to become a nationwide issue.

“Videos taken during the earthquake in Japan clearly show that even in those cases when the building is rocking, instead of people running outside, they try to stay calm and they even manage to gather the items that have fallen on the floor. But here, we don’t yet have this rule of conduct — we still have much to do. Considering the consequences of and incurred losses from the 1988 earthquake, as a result of observing international practice since 1991, we’ve been able to teach people to protect themselves from earthquakes. Unfortunately, the efficiency and effectiveness of education become clear only after strong earthquakes. Only then do omissions emerge,” she said.

Mkrtich Minasyan is convinced that being in the most seismically active zone in the region requires much attention to be paid to observing urban development norms.

Unlike in Japan, the buildings in Armenia are deadly, and to come out of a building in time doesn’t suppose that a person can consider himself saved.

“Yerevan is located within two seismic corridors — Garni and Ararat. Realizing the level of danger, we continue to construct buildings in excessive density, where there are no safeguards set aside for evacuating people in different emergency situations. Hence, in comparing [Armenia] with Japan we have to consider the fact that their buildings, when they collapse, maintain their construction, but in the case of our buildings, the picture is different — even if the building doesn’t collapse, the sections of the building that fall from the building might cause greater damage to people than the earthquake itself,” said Minasyan.

The speakers were convinced that since building practices still don’t observe the conditions defined by law, there will be huge losses in any earthquake that strikes Armenia.