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M7.2 quake might damage 168,000 MetroManila buildings
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 07/04/2013 2:10 AM | Updated as of 07/04/2013 2:11
AM
MANILA, Philippines - About 168,300 residential buildings may be
heavily damaged and 339,800 partly damaged if a
magnitude 7.2 earthquake from the West Valley Fault hits the
country, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (Phivolcs) warned Wednesday.
In a lecture organized by the New Zealand embassy in Makati,
Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum Jr. also said
government scientists have predicted that the fault, from which
a powerful quake can emanate, is ripe for anothermajor
movement.
The West Valley Fault, or the Marikina fault line, starts from
the Sierra Madre and runs through Bulacan; Rodriguez,
Rizal; Quezon City; the eastern side of Metro Manila including
Pasig and Taguig; Muntinlupa; San Pedro and Sta.
Rosa in Laguna; and ends in Carmona, Cavite.
Solidum said that under this scenario, eight to ten percent of
public buildings may sustain heavy damage while 20 to
25 percent may be partly damaged.
A magnitude 7.2 quake can also leave 33,500 people dead and
113,600 injured, and the temblor can affect lifelines
like water pipes, electricity, bridges and communication
facilities.
"We dont want this scenario to happen; we have to do something
so it wont happen," Solidum said.
He stressed the need to strictly impose the regulations on
buildings and structures to minimize the impact of
earthquakes, noting that weak structures are vulnerable to
earthquake-related hazards such as ground shaking and
liquefaction.
We need to have appropriate land use. We have to be serious
towards construction of buildings. We have to
implement the Building Code strictly, he added.
Solidum also identified six major strategies to reduce the
impact of earthquakes in the Greater Metro Manila area.
These are enhancing the legal framework and institutional
capacity for effective disaster management system;
building capacity for relief and recovery; strengthening
community preparedness for disaster because communities
should not be too dependent on the government; strengthening
building and structures, including power and water
facilities; enhancing national government resistance to
earthquakes; and promoting research and technology
development for earthquake impact reduction measures.
Earthquake preparedness should be everyones business, Solidum
said.
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For his part, Rob Johnston, general manager for business
development of New Zealands Geological and Nuclear
Sciences, said the Philippines should consider developing a plan
to retrofit buildings that fail to meet standards.
The government, he added, should also identify resources that
need to be functioning after an earthquake like
hospitals, disaster management centers, roads, broadcast media,
fire and ambulance stations, and
telecommunication facilities.
He also cited the importance of reviewing the engineering
designs of buildings and roads to determine if they are
resilient to disasters.
Do it now. Once the earthquake strikes, it is too late, he
noted.
New Zealand has experienced strong quakes, including the 2011
Christchurch earthquake that left close to 200
people dead and damaged about 100,000 buildings.
