ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – August 2011
WHAT IS BUILDING SAFETY?
Is there anyone who doesn't know about, hear about, or hasn’t seen the earthquake risk? Didn't we lose nearly 200 citizens in the 2003 Bingöl earthquake, right next to us? Didn't we bury more than forty people in the Başyurt-Karakoçan earthquake on March 8, 2010? Just a few months ago, didn’t our hearts race when an earthquake hit near İçme in June?
Earthquakes, loss of life, pain, and economic damage are all ours, yet strangely enough, so is our lack of seriousness. What makes us commit these mistakes—courage, ignorance, foolishness, cunning, or the greed for profit?
When I see some buildings in Elazığ, I can hardly believe my eyes. Can this really happen in this day and age? Make no mistake—these are not old buildings; many of them are under construction right now. The message I get from the builders is: "What is building safety?"
The location of a building, who built it, or how much it was sold for doesn’t matter. What matters is that these sacred spaces where people live with their families must be built to withstand a destructive earthquake and have adequate structural safety.
Our buildings in the plains were already problematic due to the soil fill and the groundwater levels that negatively affected earthquake resilience. Recently, residential areas have started moving up the slopes. At first glance, this seems like a positive development. However, as buildings are being constructed, once again, the logic and rules are being ignored.
In construction on slopes, it’s quite natural to have significant differences in elevation. This often leads to more basement floors. It is well known that having a reinforced concrete shear wall around the lowest basement floor is a highly recommended practice from an earthquake perspective. But has the municipality issued permits for buildings without reinforced concrete shear walls in the lowest basement, or have these buildings been constructed contrary to their plans? This is a legitimate concern.
I don't think basement floors without shear walls will be allowed. Especially since the construction engineers at the municipality are highly sensitive to this issue. Principles determined through joint efforts between the zoning department and civil engineering are applied to the plans.
So, the key question arises: Are buildings not being constructed according to their plans? If so, Elazığ is committing suicide. We are already facing a very large building stock with inadequate earthquake resistance. If new buildings are being added, then we’ve reached a point where words fail.
When I visit the buildings under construction on the slopes, I see that many of their foundations are exposed. Even if the basement floor is outside the ground level, the foundation should still be embedded in the soil. What I observe is that foundations are often simply placed on the surface of the soil. I hope we won't pay the price for this in the form of collapsed buildings after an earthquake.
Today, everyone knows how important retaining walls are in slope construction. Because in our country, there have been instances where landslides occurred even without an earthquake, causing buildings to collapse or become uninhabitable. How does it make sense to use retaining walls made of rubble stone, with no engineering support, to bear the load of hundreds of tons of buildings? I can tell you that these hastily and carelessly built structures are criminal in nature. Retaining walls are considered ground-bearing structures in the literature. They have their own standards and rules, which cannot be ignored. You cannot build them like garden walls.
I don't even want to talk about the roads in some residential areas on slopes in our province. I searched for roads where two vehicles could pass side by side or where it would be safe to ascend or descend, but I couldn’t find any! I guess they will fix this later. Where are the roads that should reflect our civilization?
Our goal is not to attack individuals or institutions but to preserve the beauties of Elazığ and raise them to international standards in every aspect. That is why I have raised these issues related to my profession. I hope everyone takes their share of responsibility.
Let’s not forget: Societies with high levels of civilization, those who aim for the future, with big goals and projects, are the ones whose homes are the safest places in earthquakes. (And these are the societies with safe roads leading to those homes.)
The recent terrorist events have deeply hurt us all. It is very difficult for me to express the pain of the families of the martyrs in words. We pray for the souls of our martyrs and extend our condolences to their families. The Republic of Turkey is strong and will always teach those who overstep their bounds a lesson, putting out the fire in the hearts of our nation.
Ramadan Bayram is approaching. We wish that your Bayram is filled with joy, and may the days leading up to it pass in peace. I hope your days leading to the upcoming Ramadan will be as joyful as a Bayram.