Seismic Vulnerability of Century Old Buildings of Srinagar City, Kashmir Himalaya, India - A Case Study

Kaiser Bukhari*, Maqbool Yousuf**, Ayaz Mohmood Dar***
* Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, India.
**-*** Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, India.
Periodicity:December - February'2017
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jce.7.1.10376

Abstract

Earthquakes symbolise severe test for the stability of constructions than any other natural calamity. The construction of earthquake resistant buildings is one of the best steps one can take to ensure the safety of structures. Although steel and reinforced concrete have made it possible to design buildings which are likely to resist major tremors without threat to life of inhabitants, but the traditional constructions systems in most areas usually lack seismic resistant features. Kashmir valley is situated in NW Himalaya, prone to severe seismicity, poor and largely detached from mainstream of industrialised society, with construction methods remaining almost unchanged for generations. The area is regularly rocked by earthquakes. The traditional houses in Kashmir are built with a wooden framework, so as to resist them from earthquake shocks. Conventional Kashmiri construction pattern, to some extent, was well suitable for resisting earthquake damage, but as the rapid increase in population of the valley up to 10 million, elegant traditional buildings paved a way to unstable, poorly built structures, possessing little resistance to earthquake ground motions. Although there is a deficiency of industrial-level precision in old buildings, still they are resistant to earthquakes to some extent. The purpose of the study will be useful in knowing how people have dealt with earthquake hazards in the past, especially in Srinagar city. The outcomes of the study indicate that most of the buildings studied are vulnerable to earthquakes and immediate measures should be taken to make them safe for useful purposes.

Keywords

Kashmir Valley, Srinagar City, Traditional Buildings, Earthquake Resistant Building, Seismic Resistant Features.

How to Cite this Article?

Bukhari, K, Yousuf, M and Dar, M, A (2017). Seismic Vulnerability of Century Old Buildings of Srinagar City, Kashmir Himalaya, India - A Case Study., i-manager’s Journal on Civil Engineering, 7(1), 45-51. https://doi.org/10.26634/jce.7.1.10376

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