Bhutan
Stone-masonry houses in Bhutan are earthquake-prone: Study
Thimpu: A recent study has unveiled that a Bhutanese house built with stone slabs is more susceptible to earthquakes compared to mud-rammed and concrete buildings, media reports said.
The ongoing national earthquake safety assessment by the Department of Human Settlement checks for a house’s resistance to earthquakes with magnitudes ranging between 6.1 to 6.9, reports The Bhutan Live.
If the country experiences an earthquake with a magnitude between 6.1 and 6.9, the stone-masonry buildings will not be safe according to the study.
The Department of Human Settlement say houses built with lighter materials like timber is safer than the ones built with heavier materials like stone.
Bishnu Pradhan, the officiating chief engineer of the Department of Human Settlement, Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport says they have made a guideline called the Earthquake-Resilient Stone Masonry Construction guideline. “We have provided nationwide training on the guidelines, and today, its implementation has been improved.”
The officiating chief engineer added that the guidelines have instructions for building houses that are safe against earthquakes.
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