The number of dead has crossed the mark of 33 thousand after a severe earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on last Monday, and looking at the number of people still stuck under the debris, the relief agency of the United Nations has cast doubts about the number of the dead going above 50 thousand.
More than 12 thousand buildings in Turkey collapsed and around 90 thousand have been damaged. For the destruction of the buildings, poor construction is responsible as well. And to punish the builders, the first step has now been taken. 134 contractors have been arrested across 10 states, who were responsible for the below-standard construction of the buildings. 7 people have been stopped from running away to foreign countries.
The Law Ministry has also directed for a crime investigation unit to be made in this regard. Back in 1999, rules were made for construction after a similarly severe earthquake. Experts have been talking about the flouting of such rules, as far as the destruction is concerned. The construction rules in Turkey say that the buildings are to be made out of ductile concrete, which is such a flexible material that can withstand the tremors of an earthquake. But only 10% buildings in Turkey were made using this material.
The old buildings had to be improvised using the same as well, but this did not take place too. In order to strengthen the old buildings using this technique, only 15% of additional expenditure is needed. As per experts, the first tremor of the earthquake was equivalent to that of a 50-lakh ton TNT blast in intensity. The second one was equivalent to a 35-lakh ton TNT blast, and it is difficult for buildings to withstand such intense tremors and shocks.
