Views : 86       Downloads : 82 Download PDF




An Analysis of Seismic Risk for the Building Stocks in the Sylhet City Corporation, Sylhet, Bangladesh: A Case Study on Ward No. 1

Corresponding Author : Najmul Kabir (n.kabir-gee@sust.edu)

Keywords : Seismic Risk, Buildings, Ward No. 1, Performance Score, Probable Damage

Abstract :

Bangladesh is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because of the difference in energy between the Indian and Burma plates. Frequent earthquakes could lead to massive loss of property and destruction. This study aims to determine the seismic risk of building stocks in Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). Amongst 28 wards, Ward No. 1 was selected, as it is one of the preferable residential areas and has almost 2143 buildings. By following Sloven’s formula (1960), 320 buildings were randomly selected. The level-I observational survey is conducted with a checklist to see the status of the buildings. General information was analyzed through descriptive statistics. The Modified Turkish Method, proposed by Socuoglu and Yazgan, was followed to find out the building’s performance score., A fragility curve calibrated for 475 years, given by Alam et al. 2018, was followed to detect the probable damage number of buildings. It is found that one-story buildings are most prominent here (58.75%). Almost 40% of the construction period is under 20 years (116 buildings). The floor area covered nearly the entire plot meaning there is no vacant place on the owner’s land. Buildings are classified into five groups which are EMSB1 (40%), EMSB2 (32.19%), EMSC (22.81%), EMSD (0.64%), and EMSF (4.38%). There are 63, 23, and 199 buildings with soft stories, a heavy overhang porch, and short columns, respectively. Buildings’ apparent quality is divided into three categories likely good (41), moderate (264), and poor (15). The analysis revealed that 79.06% (253) have a high building performance score, wherein 7.19% (23) and 13.75% (44) have moderate and poor performance scores, respectively. For 0.8, 0.9, and 1 peak ground acceleration (PGA), the probable number of damaged buildings will be 224, 227, and 230, respectively. Based on the building’s performance score, the weighted analysis shows that 77% of the area is free from seismic risk due to the building stocks.  

Published on July 1st, 2023 in Volume 33, issue 1, Physical Sciences