Are skyscrapers safe in earthquake prone Gujarat?

The Gujarat government recently approved the construction of 70-storey buildings in five of its major cities. Till now buildings up to 23 floors were allowed. Now, buildings with up to 70 floors can be constructed in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Surat. The government is attempting to model these cities on the lines of Singapore and Dubai.

Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: The government has given its approval for the construction of 70-storey buildings in five major cities of the state. Till now, buildings only up to 23 floors were allowed. Now, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Surat can have buildings up to 70 floors. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved an amendment in the Comprehensive General Development Control Regulation which will allow construction of high-rise buildings on the lines of Singapore and Dubai in five major cities of Gujarat. However, the topography of Singapore and Dubai is different from Gujarat’s. Gujarat is in a seismic zone and has felt tremors in the last three months. ETV Bharat examined in its special report the safety aspects of high-rise buildings in the five major cities of Gujarat.

The Gujarat government has approved the construction of 70-storeyed buildings in five major cities of the state. For this, the state government has announced several rules. Let us first look at the most important of these rules.

The provisions of the new regulation would apply to high-rise buildings above the height of 100 metres. This would be applicable to buildings that have an aspect ratio of 1:9 and more. This would be applicable in the jurisdiction of AUDA/SUDA/VUDA/RUDA (Urban Development Authorities of the five cities) where the present Floor Space Index, according to the CGDCR is 1.2 or more. A special technical team would be set up to examine and make recommendations on the proposals. The proposed high-rise buildings would be allowed only along the roads of 30 or more metre wide roads under the development and town plans. The minimum plot size for buildings up to 100 to 150 metres should be 2,500 square metres.

For buildings of over 150-metre height, the minimum plot size should be 3,500 square metres. The maximum FSI would be 5.4 of which the base FSI would be free while the remaining FSI would have a premium charge. The premium FSI would be 50 per cent of the official valuation of non-agricultural land. Residential/commercial/recreation areas would be allowed as mixed-use. Electricity connections would be compulsory in parking spaces. Wind tunnel would be mandatory and a disaster management plan would have to be in place. If the rules are not followed in constructing a high-rise building, who would be held accountable? There is no clarification about this.

In an interview with ETV Bharat, state Congress spokesperson Manishbhai Doshi said the BJP government’s decision to allow high-rise buildings was aimed at benefiting builders and fund managers. Only a handful of builders would benefit from this. He questioned what happened to the BJP’s promise of providing 50 lakh affordable houses for the weaker sections. The BJP must give an account of how many affordable houses were provided to the people in the last ten years and what all civic amenities were created for the urban population.

The views of the director of seismological research

Institute of Seismological Research Director Dr Sumer Chopra told ETV Bharat that earthquake would not have an effect on the 70-storeyed buildings as such buildings would be erected only after checking the condition of the land. The impact of an earthquake on high-rise buildings depends on its intensity and frequency. If the epicentre of the earthquake is in Kutch and the 70-storeyed building is in Gandhinagar, even a low frequency can have an effect on the building. However, if the land has been properly tested and the wind velocity has been taken into consideration while designing the building, an earthquake would not affect it much.

CREDAI chairman welcomes

CREDAI chairman Jaxay Shah, in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, welcome the state government’s decision. When people from villages were moving to cities and the state’s industrial growth was in double-digit, it was high time to have high-rise buildings. “I congratulate the government. The land prices in Gujarat have increased sharply. People, who want to buy a house, are forced to live far away from the city centre.

With high-rise buildings, people would be able to buy residential apartments. One needs to see how the government gives FSI. To a question, Jaxay Shah said Gujarat has been experiencing tremours but after the major earthquake in 2001, zones have been earmarked in all the cities for the purpose of giving approval to the construction of buildings. For the construction of high-rise buildings, necessary checks would be carried out regarding its location, structural design, etc. There are several builders in Gujarat who are keen to construct 70-storeyed buildings. Besides, known infrastructure companies from outside the state and from abroad would also come to Gujarat to build high-rise buildings. Construction of high-rise buildings would also create employment opportunities.

The approval of the construction of high-rise buildings is being widely welcomed at the moment. However, the question remains whether builders would abide by the safety rules. Recently, eight coronavirus patients had died in a major fire that broke out in Shrey hospital in the Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad. The hospital did not have required fire safety permission. There is a general perception that no one takes rules and laws seriously.

Citizens of Ahmedabad have not forgotten the horrors of the 2001 earthquake when even many low-rise buildings were razed to the ground causing a large number of deaths. After the earthquake, the prices of apartments in multi-storeyed buildings had crashed. People have sold their apartments in panic and shifted to single-storeyed houses.

The government has hurriedly taken the decision to allow construction of high-rise buildings but what about ensuring them earthquake-proof and strictly implementing the safety norms? Gujarat lies in the earthquake fault line. There have been minor tremors felt in Gujarat in the last three months. In its eagerness to make Gujarat a Singapore or a Dubai, has not the Gujarat government ignored the safety of the people? What is the guarantee that the builders will abide by the safety rules while constructing a high-rise building?