Parliament Research Center: 10% of Buildings in Tehran Face Earthquake-Induced Collapse Risk

A Tehran-based newspaper reported citing a study that "nearly 10% of all existing buildings in the capital of Iran are at risk of 'collapse' due to earthquakes above 7 on the Richter scale and widespread destruction." The newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' on Thursday, March 1, cited new research from the parliamentary research arm, stating that 65% of buildings in District 1 of Tehran are in a 'crisis-inducing' situation due to their location on the main fault line. The report emphasized that 100 densely populated buildings and 245 important sites in the capital are at risk of a 'major earthquake,' and the Parliament Research Center has requested the government to limit the activities of Tehran's Article 5 Commission regarding 'density selling.' Accordingly, the Center has identified 'density sales approved by the Article 5 Commission' in recent years as a factor contributing to 'the construction of buildings on main fault lines,' calling for the cessation of this commission's activities and stating that no towers or important sites should be built in the vicinity of active faults. The study has urged the Tehran Municipality to change the use of areas on main fault lines to green spaces by evacuating important buildings. The report from the Parliament Research Center has catastrophic dimensions, as it states that currently, 10 areas of Tehran are located on the main fault line. Additionally, it has been reported that 245 important and sensitive sites are located within the fault line areas of Tehran, comprising 18 groups and approximately 32 hectares of dilapidated fabric. The Center has announced that significant sites, including 6 towers, 36 schools, 25 mosques, 23 bridges and communication routes, 22 gathering centers, 15 hospitals and medical centers, 9 municipalities and their affiliated centers, 9 universities and higher education centers, 9 high-voltage power stations, 8 water reservoirs, 4 museums, 4 buildings related to the judiciary, three fire stations, two buildings belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, two gas stations, one building belonging to the Ministry of Oil, and one oil depot, as well as 6 other important buildings, have been constructed within the fault line areas of Tehran. Amir Mansouri, a professor at the University of Tehran and head of the 'Nazr' Research Institute of Architecture and Urbanism, warned on November 3 about the policies for 'reducing risks,' stating that 3 million people could die in the event of an earthquake. According to some officials of the Islamic Republic, such as Pirouz Hanachi, the former mayor of the capital, 'If an earthquake above 7 on the Richter scale occurs under the worst conditions, meaning when people are asleep in their homes, it is predicted that 400,000 people will die in this earthquake.' Also, Ali Bitahli, head of the Earthquake Engineering and Risk Assessment Department at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, criticized the 'poor quality' of construction in Iran on September 8, stating that with a 7-magnitude earthquake, about 60% of buildings would be destroyed. In this context, Ahmad Shahroudi, a housing expert, told VOA that an earthquake in Tehran could be due to the age of urban planning and catastrophic mismanagement. 68% of cities in Iran are built in the vicinity of active faults; only maps for 6 metropolises have been prepared. 15,000 'earthquakes' have been recorded in the country in eight months. Iran is one of the 10 most disaster-prone countries in the world. A seismologist warned that the location of the new Tehran stadium is on an 'earthquake line.' A silent crisis in Tehran; '3 million people' will die due to an earthquake. Crisis management in the capital of Iran: estimates of potential earthquake casualties in Tehran are 'classified.'