Building Capacity in Delhi, India to Reduce Earthquake Risk from Existing Buildings

Abstract eng:
India’s capital city of Delhi faces substantial earthquake risk both from distant large-magnitude earthquakes in the Himalayas and smaller local events. The project aims to build the capacity of the Delhi Public Works Department to assess and seismically retrofit vulnerable existing buildings that have important post-earthquake functions. Improved seismic performance of these buildings both protects the government employees working there and enables them to respond more effectively to an earthquake disaster. The project utilizes a practical learning approach whereby public works engineers are mentored by a peer review panel from India and the United States as they seismically retrofit five groups of important buildings. Project buildings include the main offices of the Government of Delhi, the police headquarters, a hospital, a school that serves as a relief center, and the disaster management authority. Participants have learned to apply performance-based earthquake engineering concepts, assess and design retrofit schemes for existing buildings, address issues of disruption and user requirements, rectify falling hazards, and apply additional risk reduction tools such as constructing new earthquake-resistant buildings or changing the use of a building. This paper discusses the lessons learned during this project and recommendations for measures to improve the results of subsequent, similar projects.

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