Tehran on the Danger Line; 11,000 'High-Risk' Buildings in the Capital

While the city of Tehran is one of the most earthquake-prone cities in Iran, situated among three main faults and dozens of secondary faults, a member of the city's council states that there are at least 11,000 'high-risk' buildings in the capital. The head of the Safety and Crisis Committee of the Tehran City Council mentioned to ILNA news agency that despite the municipality's opposition, the Attorney General's office published a list of 129 'high-risk' buildings in Tehran, which included 'very high-risk' structures. However, he emphasized that there are around 11,000 'high-risk' buildings in Tehran that the Attorney General should take action to cut off utilities and seal them. Mehdi Babaei added that there is a legal weakness in this area, and the municipality only issues warnings, while the judiciary should intervene from the position of public prosecutor to address unsafe buildings. Abbas Jahani, a civil engineer and former member of Iran's Engineering System Organization, stated to VOA that responsible officials must develop a proper plan, identify relevant organizations, and obligate them to work with capable Iranian professors and students to ensure the safety of these unsafe buildings. He stressed the importance of 'time' in preventive measures, stating that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the municipality, the Cultural Heritage Organization, and fire departments must promptly address the issues of these buildings. Abdol-Motahar Mohammadi, spokesperson for the Tehran municipality, reacted to the publication of the 'high-risk' buildings list by saying that the Tehran municipality and Mr. Zakhani opposed this action, but the judiciary must have deemed it necessary to publish this list. Alireza Zakhani, the mayor of Tehran, had previously stated in November of last year that if the list were provided, no one would remain in the city from the next day. The announcement of 11,000 high-risk buildings in Tehran raises concerns about public safety and the potential for disasters similar to past incidents like the Metropol and Plasco fires.