MANY TALL BUILDINGS LACK ANTI-QUAKE

“They are designed to deal with wind load and shear stress, so they can withstand moderate quakes,” Winai Limsakul, chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administra-tion’s Public Works Department, said yesterday.
All buildings constructed before the Building Control Act went into effect in 2007 were not required to have quake-proof designs, he said.
The Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning was working on regulations for these old buildings to add the protective features.
Deputy City Clerk Jumpol Sampaopon assured the public that they were safe from seismic activity.
“Bangkok is far away from earthquake zones,” he said.
Amorn Pimanmas, executive director of the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT), said old buildings in Bangkok should be able to accommodate moderate oscillations. However, in case of a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Myanmar’s Sagaing Fault, they could be damaged.
On Sunday, a 6.8-magnitude quake on the Sagaing Fault caused casualties in Myanmar. Even though it was 1,200 kilometres away, it was felt in Bangkok.
That showed that buildings in Bangkok should be structured to deal with earthquakes, he said.
Authorities could introduce measures such as tax incentives to encourage the owners of old buildings to reinforce them.
“The focus should be on hospitals and public buildings taller than 10 storeys or more,” he added.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Preecha Rengsomboonsuk said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had ordered authorities to come up with an improved and integrated earthquake-response plan.
“For example, all high-rises should have instructions posted on what people should do in the event of a quake,” he said.
Lerdsin Raksasakunwong, a senior official of the Mineral Resources Department, said a building that can last through one minute of vibrations is considered safe enough.