Seismic Experts Meet on Earthquake Safety Initiative for Delhi

December 09, 2005

NEW DELHI -- Seismic experts and engineers from the United States and India met in New Delhi from December 5 to 9, 2005 to review progress on the Indian Earthquake Safety Initiative (IndESI), a model program for seismic evaluation and retrofitting critical lifeline buildings in Delhi.

This initiative, launched in April 2005 by Mrs. Sheila Dikshit, Honorable Chief Minister of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, is supported by the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Led by the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and assisted by a U.S. based non governmental organization, GeoHazards International, the project has already accomplished much toward strengthening the existing buildings in Delhi and enhancing the skills of Indian engineers.

Five buildings in Delhi are under review – these are the Delhi Secretariat, the Delhi Police Headquarters, the Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, the Ludlow Castle School, and the Office of the Divisional Commissioner.

As a part of the IndESI, seismic experts are finding feasible solutions for making buildings more resistant to earthquakes. This work will serve as a model for other earthquake prone buildings in Delhi as well as in other cities in India. The non-structural mitigation aspects of this initiative have helped to raise awareness about earthquake safety. Simple, easy, economical steps can be taken to reduce injuries and save lives during and after an earthquake.

In a wrap up session on December 9, George Deikun, the USAID India Mission Director, congratulated the experts on their accomplishments over the past seven months. I hope that this effort will make the city of Delhi a “safer place to live,” he said. “With the successful implementation of initiatives in disaster preparedness and mitigation, I am confident that India will soon become a leader in disaster response in the region,” Deikun added.

While working together to analyze the structures of five lifeline buildings, there has been a valuable exchange of knowledge between Indian and U.S. colleagues, particularly from California. A number of key seismic engineering experts including the National Seismic Advisor, representatives from Indian Institutes of Technology at Roorkee and Mumbai and the Delhi Public works Department have participated in this effort.