Karachi: Recent years have seen an increase in earthquakes in the Middle East region which has attracted the interest of seismologists towards this region. In a recent study titled Earthquake model of the Middle East region, it was revealed that if an earthquake of medium to high intensity hits Karachi, 87 percent Buildings In Gulshan-e-Iqbal will experience significant damage.
The study, which was funded by Japanese Tobacco Institute and carried out by a number of institutions for the Middle East region stretching from Turkey to India. This region is one of the most seismically active regions of the world due to being located at a junction of major tectonic plates. It is also one of the most densely populated regions, making the risk of damage greater in case of earthquakes.
The study was carried out in Pakistan by NED university’s Department of Earthquake Engineering led by Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi. Data was collected from all over Pakistan but Gulshan e Iqbal was chosen as a model test case being one of the most populated areas of Karachi.
The study revealed that 87 percent of the 81751 buildings in Gulshan-e-Iqbal could be heavily damaged in a moderate to high intensity earthquake which could also destroy 219 pipelines though bridges would remain relatively safe with only 3 percent at risk. This alarming data has created an urgent need to revise the current design policies of buildings and to improve the earthquake hazard plan for the city.