Four-day training on disaster management


Raja Nobhar August 03, 2010

ISLAMABAD: In connection with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s joint project, Earthquake Risk Reduction and Preparedness Programme (ERRP), a four-day training session was organised at a local hotel.

The earthquake risk reduction project is being implemented in the municipalities of Murree, Chitral, Quetta, Mansehra and Muzaffarabad.

The training on ‘Structural and Non-Structural Vulnerability Assessment of Critical Buildings and Infrastructure’ focused on teaching participants how to identify and assess the vulnerability of buildings in the case of an earthquake using different techniques and to orient them about basic concepts and issues related to how structures are affected by earthquakes.

“Seismic vulnerability assessment enables us to foresee the damages a building may undergo during an earthquake and undertake remedial measures,” said Athar Nawaz Malik, Director General, Pakistan Housing Authority, who formally launched the training session.

Around 40 engineers from Quetta, Murree and Chitral as well as certain federal departments attended the training.

The engineers were taught about causes of earthquakes, seismic force resisting systems and response of concrete buildings to seismic forces, among other topics.

The training session included a field visit to Murree so that participants could physically assess the seismic vulnerability of the Rescue 1122 building there.

Shah Din Sheikh, Director General, Pakistan Public Works Department assured the audience that seismic vulnerability assessment of critical buildings and infrastructure will be incorporated into the department.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4th, 2010.

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