News Detail

ACI Kurdistan Chapter Co-Organizes Earthquake Hazard Workshop

4/4/2023

The ACI Kurdistan Chapter and the Ministry of Housing and Construction of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) jointly organized a one-day workshop on Protecting the Kurdistan Region from Earthquake Hazards on February 21, 2023, at Hotel Rotana, in Erbil, the capital city of Kurdistan. The workshop was attended by the Prime Minister and representatives from various local government agencies, including the Minister of Municipality and the President of the Investment Board of KRG, engineers, academics, and stakeholders. 

Dr. Saman Ali Abdullah, Executive Director of ACI Kurdistan Chapter, presenting remotely from USA.

The workshop came in response to the devastating M7.8 earthquake on Feb 6, 2023, in southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria, followed about 9 hours later by a M7.5 earthquake approximately 90 km to the north of the first. The estimated number of fatalities in in Turkey and Syria is more than 50,000. According to Turkish government sources, more than 200,000 buildings collapsed or were damaged severely that needed to be demolished. Additionally, over a million people have been displaced. Since the vast majority of buildings and structures in Kurdistan are made of reinforced concrete, ACI Kurdistan Chapter finds itself in the forefront of efforts to mitigate earthquake hazard of concrete buildings and lead such efforts.

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The workshop program included several seminars covering a range of topics related to earthquake hazards and infrastructure resilience. One of the seminars presented during the workshop covered the topic of earthquakes and their effects on structures. Other topics included a comparison of standards and codes for seismic design of buildings, lessons learned from the M7.3 earthquake that struck the  Iran-Iraq border on November 12, 2017, strategies and actions for earthquake risk reduction in the Kurdistan region, and multi-scale consequence studies for hazard impacts on structures in Iraq. The workshop also featured a seminar on keeping one step ahead of earthquakes research and preparedness, highlighting the importance of early warning systems, rapid response plans, and community preparedness efforts.

The workshop was opened with a speech from the Minister of Housing and Construction, Mr. Dana Abdulkarim, in which he emphasized the importance of collaboration in addressing the earthquake hazard in the region, and a speech from ACI Kurdistan Chapter President, Dr. Omar Qarani.

"I urge the ACI Kurdistan Chapter to work closely with the government to protect our citizens and infrastructure from the earthquake hazard," said the Minister of Housing and Construction. "We need to improve our construction and design practices of new buildings and evaluate existing buildings to ensure that they do not impose life threatening hazards to our communities” Mr. Dana continued.

The Prime Minister of KRG, Mr. Masrur Barzani, also attended the workshop, underscoring the government's commitment to protecting its citizens and infrastructure from natural hazards. The workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders from the construction industry, academic institutions, and government agencies to exchange ideas and collaborate on possible solutions. The workshop was covered by all major media outlets in the region.

The information shared and proceedings of the workshop will be used to draft recommendations on earthquake design and construction of buildings and structures in Kurdistan Region.

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