Mr. Joseph Ankrah, the Director of Geological and Nuclear Disaster, NADMO, has intimated that buildings can be retrofitted to withstand earthquake.
He made this statement whiles speaking in an interview on what can be done to old structures;+ identified during the auditing of public structures as ordered by the President.
“There is a lot of technology in constructing these buildings. There is something they call retrofitting. With this, engineers can go back in there and refit the structures or some parts of the building;that’s with maybe the foundation of the building, or maybe a column. Engineers have a way of doing that job to help enhance the structure of those buildings.”
Joseph Ankrah
He further averred that, the exercise that the President has directed to be done will also give government the opportunity;to know the buildings which have been in existence for a long time which also needs enhancement.
“You know some buildings have been there for almost 50 years. So, this will inform the government on buildings which need renovation. It is a very important directive the President has given.”
Joseph Ankrah
Touching on the auditing of private construction, he indicated that they are starting with the public buildings across the nation;before tackling private construction projects which fall in the earthquake prone areas.
“We are starting from somewhere; that is why the President directed that the public buildings will be the starting point. Then, we move on to the engineering side, that is with the engineering council.
“The engineering council will do some program so that maybe;if there are things they have to put in place, they will offer advice on that.”
Joseph Ankrah
Laws and regulations will be enforced
Speaking on enforcing laws with regards to the construction of new buildings, he posits that, the Engineering council which oversees all engineering works will ensure it’s enforcing laws and various regulations to ensure they meet certain standards.
Mr. Ankrah further disclosed that, in a situation of an earthquake,;people who reside along water bodies will also be greatly affected with damages being caused.
He also noted that, earthquake can move and affect areas not in earthquake prone areas as well;due to the distance it can travel and also indicated that all this has to be put into consideration;during the exercise.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday, April 8, 2021 asked the Engineering Council;of the Ministry of Works and Housing to conduct a comprehensive integrity audit;of all public buildings to enable the government to effectively plan for earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Read more: We need to ensure that buildings are resilient to earthquakes- President Akufo-Addo
He also urged the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) to give government the needed advice on its logistical needs;and equipment to undertake round the clock monitoring of seismic activities for urgent action.
President Akufo-Addo made the call in Accra when he opened a stakeholder conference on Ghana’s earthquake preparedness and response.
President Akufo-Addo said with Ghana’s history of seismic activities dating back to 1636, with a destructive one hitting Accra;in 1939, in addition to recent tremors in the country, there was the need to ensure losses were reduced;in the event of a high magnitude earthquake.
