30.01.2025 14:30
The President of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Civil Engineers (IMO) İzmir Branch, Bengi Atak, stated that 70% of the building stock in İzmir is questionable. Atak said, "In the inventory studies conducted in two districts where the total building stock is 60,000, we can say that 35% of the buildings are highly likely to be earthquake-resistant and belong to the group that needs to be prioritized for further analysis."
The President of the İzmir Branch of the Chamber of Civil Engineers (İMO), Bengi Atak, made important statements regarding the earthquake risk in İzmir.
35% ARE EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT
Stating that 70% of the building stock in İzmir carries a question mark, Atak said, "Since the districts most affected by the October 30 earthquake were Bornova and Bayraklı, inventory studies initially started in these two districts. In the inventory studies conducted in these two districts, where the total building stock is 60,000, we can say that there is a high probability that 35% of the buildings are earthquake-resistant and are in the group that needs to be analyzed first. Among these priority buildings, the proportion of those constructed before the year 2000 is higher than others, which may be due to fundamental changes such as the mandatory use of ready-mixed concrete after the 1999 earthquake and revisions of the earthquake regulations. The inventory studies are a prioritization effort, so the aim is to protect the maximum number of buildings by doing the right work in the right place with the budget we have," he stated.
"WE WILL START WORK ON 23 THOUSAND MORE BUILDINGS"
Atak, who stated that a decision was made in the municipal council last month to start inventory studies in Karşıyaka, said, "There are approximately 23,000 buildings in Karşıyaka. I believe that the inventory studies will start soon and will be completed within this year. The buildings in the districts where we have started inventory studies are in the most characteristic and expected to be most affected by destruction. After Karşıyaka, when the inventory studies are completed in Konak, we will have a significant idea about İzmir as a whole. Without waiting to complete each district one by one, we will be able to make statements about İzmir with this data," he stated.