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IS YERVAND ZAKHARYAN PROPOSING TO CREATE SOURCES OF SEISMIC DANGER IN ALL REGIONS?
Aram Zakaryan
Lragir, Armenia
Dec 8 2006
Yervand Zakharyan, the mayor of Yerevan, was driving around Arabkir
community and stated that Yerevan has developed, and now the focus
should be on the towns of the regions.
I remembered Yervand Zakharyan's regional concerns when on December 7,
18 years after the earthquake in Spitak, which took 25 thousand lives,
the head of the National Service of Seismic Security Alvaro Antonyan
made a statement that makes think. "Currently not all the building
projects in Armenia keep to the rules of seismic construction. The
seismic risk is high in the center of Yerevan, considering both the
density of buildings and seismic security.
Buildings are built which do not comply with urban planning rules.
The new highrises enhance the seismic risk in Yerevan. God forbid, if
a strong quake destroys one of them, traffic in the center of Yerevan
will be blocked to ambulances, rescuers. Unfortunately, the general
map of Yerevan is being drawn for a completely build-up city," stated
Alvaro Antonyan. Alvaro Antonyan also announced that there must be a
vital area around every building, especially a highrise. Meanwhile,
in Yerevan the impression is that we are not going to have children,
and they do not need a backyard to play there. A 15-storey house
is built immediately on the pavement. "After the earthquake houses
were built in Spitak which fail to comply with the rules of seismic
building," said Alvaro Antonyan.
Alvaro Antonyan also stated that the buildings built for foreign
companies are compliant; we tend to overlook the danger. The
National Service of Seismic Security does not possess levers to
stop or prevent construction which is not compliant, however, it has
warned the relevant agencies. So far no case has been reported when
non-compliant construction was stopped, for the owners of the buildings
in the center of Yerevan are high-ranking officials or their relatives.
Under Mayor Yervand Zakharyan the inhabitants of Yerevan have
"earned" double trouble. First, the state of traffic in the center has
become worse. Second, the center has become a source of additional
risk. Moreover, Yerevan got its new center at the expense of
expropriating the apartments of a number of people.
Is this what Yervand Zakharyan wishes for the towns of Abovyan, Goris,
Meghri or Dilijan, for instance? And if yes, is his wish compliant
with the ideology of his political party? If the public regulations on
seismic security of construction and the warnings of the seismologists
are overlooked, is there a guarantee that the buildings in the regions
will take into consideration the seismic risk? If these rules are
overlooked, do we need another 50-60 sources of danger in Armenia?
Aram Zakaryan
Lragir, Armenia
Dec 8 2006
Yervand Zakharyan, the mayor of Yerevan, was driving around Arabkir
community and stated that Yerevan has developed, and now the focus
should be on the towns of the regions.
I remembered Yervand Zakharyan's regional concerns when on December 7,
18 years after the earthquake in Spitak, which took 25 thousand lives,
the head of the National Service of Seismic Security Alvaro Antonyan
made a statement that makes think. "Currently not all the building
projects in Armenia keep to the rules of seismic construction. The
seismic risk is high in the center of Yerevan, considering both the
density of buildings and seismic security.
Buildings are built which do not comply with urban planning rules.
The new highrises enhance the seismic risk in Yerevan. God forbid, if
a strong quake destroys one of them, traffic in the center of Yerevan
will be blocked to ambulances, rescuers. Unfortunately, the general
map of Yerevan is being drawn for a completely build-up city," stated
Alvaro Antonyan. Alvaro Antonyan also announced that there must be a
vital area around every building, especially a highrise. Meanwhile,
in Yerevan the impression is that we are not going to have children,
and they do not need a backyard to play there. A 15-storey house
is built immediately on the pavement. "After the earthquake houses
were built in Spitak which fail to comply with the rules of seismic
building," said Alvaro Antonyan.
Alvaro Antonyan also stated that the buildings built for foreign
companies are compliant; we tend to overlook the danger. The
National Service of Seismic Security does not possess levers to
stop or prevent construction which is not compliant, however, it has
warned the relevant agencies. So far no case has been reported when
non-compliant construction was stopped, for the owners of the buildings
in the center of Yerevan are high-ranking officials or their relatives.
Under Mayor Yervand Zakharyan the inhabitants of Yerevan have
"earned" double trouble. First, the state of traffic in the center has
become worse. Second, the center has become a source of additional
risk. Moreover, Yerevan got its new center at the expense of
expropriating the apartments of a number of people.
Is this what Yervand Zakharyan wishes for the towns of Abovyan, Goris,
Meghri or Dilijan, for instance? And if yes, is his wish compliant
with the ideology of his political party? If the public regulations on
seismic security of construction and the warnings of the seismologists
are overlooked, is there a guarantee that the buildings in the regions
will take into consideration the seismic risk? If these rules are
overlooked, do we need another 50-60 sources of danger in Armenia?