NOIDA: District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma has asked fire department officials to enhance earthquake readiness in Noida and implement comprehensive safety measures.
Noida, which falls under the seismic zone 4—considered a high-risk earthquake zone—has seen rapid vertical development with numerous high-rise buildings dotting the city. On Feb 17 morning, a shallow 4.0-magnitude earthquake jolted residents of several high-rises out of their sleep. The tremors shook large furniture and set off car alarms in several areas, sparking panic and triggering residents to rush out of their flats in highrises and houses onto safer ground below.
While seismologists said the earthquake was not of a very high magnitude, its depth of just around 5km and epicentre at Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi, caused stronger reverberations.
Omkar Chaturvedi, a district disaster expert, said, “Noida is an industrial and residential hub with many high-rise buildings, malls and factories. As it is in a high-risk zone for seismic activities, earthquake preparedness must be a priority.”
Following a crucial DDMA meeting, Verma said officials of Noida and Greater Noida authorities have been asked to coordinate with the AOAs of high-rise residential societies and operators of commercial establishments for chalking disaster management plans and table a report before ADM (finance).
DDMA was also asked to organise training programmes to raise awareness and preparedness levels. The meeting also reviewed fire safety measures in industrial establishments.
Chief fire officer (CFO)Pradeep Chaubey said, “We will be carrying out inspections of high-rise buildings and submit a report to the ADM soon. For now, we have started inspecting industries in Sector 4.”
According to Madhuri Agarwal, a senior assistant professor of department of architecture & planning at Gautam Buddha University, in seismic zone 4, buildings require earthquake-resistant designs with reinforced concrete or steel framing, ductile detailing, and additional structural elements, like shear walls, cross bracing, and moment-resisting frames to absorb seismic forces.
“The use of lightweight materials is recommended to reduce impact. In contrast, zone 1, where the risk is minimum, follows general construction standards without mandatory seismic reinforcements,” she said
The foundation depth of buildings in zone 4 must also be deeper with a raft or pile foundation to enhance stability, along with mandatory soil testing to assess liquefaction risks. Soft stories, overhangs, and irregular designs should be avoided in high-risk areas, she said.
Gaurav Gupta, general secretary of Confederation of Real Estate Development Associations of India NCR, told TOI all buildings in Noida are constructed as per National Building Code (NBC) that prescribes different construction guidelines for buildings based on seismic zones.”Structural audits are carried out by a panel comprising professionals from IIT or an equivalent institute once a project is completed before occupation and completion certificates are issued,” Gupta, also the director of SG Estates which has multiple high-rise projects in Ghaziabad, said.
