Many buildings in Iraq vulnerable against earthquakes: Expert
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Many of Iraq’s buildings could prove to be vulnerable in case of an earthquake similar to the ones that ripped through Turkey and Syria last week, an advanced structures expert told Rudaw on Sunday, emphasizing that the risk could be mitigated if better quality control protocols are implemented.
Professor Lars Abrahamczyk, Chair of Advanced Structures at Bauhaus University Weimar in Germany, spoke to Rudaw’s Ranj Sangawi about the factors that led to the massive destruction of building across Turkey due to the quake, and the possibility of such a disaster occurring in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
“What we have seen from the building stocks, there are many buildings made of brick, stone, or concrete masonry, which are rather vulnerable in case of earthquakes. There are some horizontal and vertical irregularities which are also not that good under earthquake actions,” said Abrahamczyk about the buildings in Iraq.
Abrahamczyk specified that his research on the buildings of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is still in its early stages, but stressed that there are differences in the composition of the building stock compared to Turkey.
The expert noted that the most important thing is to ensure the quality of material used in the construction of buildings to prevent similar disasters from occurring in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
A disastrous 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey last week, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria.
Over 33,000 people have been killed in both countries due to the quake as of Monday morning, with millions others left homeless and in need of urgent support following the collapse of thousands of buildings.
Professor Lars Abrahamczyk, Chair of Advanced Structures at Bauhaus University Weimar in Germany, spoke to Rudaw’s Ranj Sangawi about the factors that led to the massive destruction of building across Turkey due to the quake, and the possibility of such a disaster occurring in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
“What we have seen from the building stocks, there are many buildings made of brick, stone, or concrete masonry, which are rather vulnerable in case of earthquakes. There are some horizontal and vertical irregularities which are also not that good under earthquake actions,” said Abrahamczyk about the buildings in Iraq.
Abrahamczyk specified that his research on the buildings of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is still in its early stages, but stressed that there are differences in the composition of the building stock compared to Turkey.
The expert noted that the most important thing is to ensure the quality of material used in the construction of buildings to prevent similar disasters from occurring in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
A disastrous 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kahramanmaras in southern Turkey last week, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria.
Over 33,000 people have been killed in both countries due to the quake as of Monday morning, with millions others left homeless and in need of urgent support following the collapse of thousands of buildings.