The Hindu 01.03.2010
Seismic risk evaluation of big private buildings planned
Deepa H Ramakrishnan
— Photo: M.Vedhan 
Mayor M.Subramanian and Anna University Vice Chancellor P.Mannar Jawahar interact with engineers of Chennai Corporation at a training programme .
CHENNAI: The Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, Anna University, will soon take up seismic risk evaluation of big private buildings, including residential complexes in the city. This would be done using the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) Technique.
The Centre’s director, S.Rajarathnam, said that students of private engineering colleges would be roped in for the evaluation. “Our Vice-Chancellor P. Mannar Jawahar suggested that as training is being provided to engineers of the PWD and the Chennai Corporation for assessing government buildings, private buildings too must be evaluated for seismic risks. He said it would also help train the students in RVS technique.”
About 500 final year students of private engineering colleges that are affiliated to the university would participate in the survey to be conducted in the next few months. “Students would also be able to use the findings in their final year thesis,” Mr. Rajarathnam said. Using these findings, a hazard map of Chennai city would be created. He was speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a training programme on ‘Seismic risk evaluation of buildings’ for engineers of Chennai Corporation here recently.
Mayor M.Subramanian said that in the last three years, over 400 new buildings including schools, gymnasiums, hospitals and noon meal centres had been constructed by the civic body using quake-resistant technology. The civic body engineers would take up seismic evaluation of older buildings. He said that 28 new buildings constructed by the civic body at a cost of Rs.6.08 crore would be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin on March 1.
Former Dean (Civil Engineering) and Consultant CDMM, Anna University, A. R. Santhakumar, said that Chennai has witnessed several earthquakes, which means the city needs to prepare itself for earthquakes by evaluating its buildings.
