A seismic vulnerability assessment study of nearly 67% fire and emergency service building in the state, 60% police buildings and 18% local administration infrastructure, has revealed that 14,12% of these buildings are likely to collapse and over 67% may be damaged and put to disuse immediately after an earthquake. The study conducted by Disaster Mitigation, Management Centre (DMMC) and Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project (UDRP) adds that despite raising a well-equipped State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), primary response in the aftermath of a major earthquake has to be taken care of by local administration, police and fire emergency services, which are located in the proximity of the affected areas. Lack of maintenance, faulty design, poor quality of construction, corrosion of reinforcement, settlement of foundation and extreme loading were observed to be the main causes of vulnerability in the surveyed buildings which exhibited in the form of cracks in the building elements.
Source: Times of India