Warning from Deputy Minister of Roads: We have 2.7 million buildings that will collapse with 'any force'

The Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development warned about the existence of non-standard buildings, stating that there are more than 2.7 million 'unstable buildings that have no structure and will collapse with any vertical or horizontal force.' According to Mohammad Ayini, the renovation of dilapidated and unstable buildings is 'even more important, timely, and effective than the national housing movement.' He also reported a lack of cooperation from various agencies in this area, noting that urban planning packages in 400 cities have yet to be implemented, and mayors must be held accountable in this regard. This number of non-standard buildings comes at a time when Iranian media have reported that newly constructed buildings also lack basic standards. The Fars news agency reported in April of this year, citing a professor from the Earthquake Research Institute, that 'in the last five years, we have had constructions in Tehran that are highly vulnerable.' Fariborz Nateghi Elahi emphasized that these buildings are designed as 'new and earthquake-resistant buildings,' but in the event of an earthquake, 'we will see the poor performance of these buildings.' The delay of municipalities in enforcing related laws comes while on October 18 of this year, Mehdi Abbasi, head of the Architecture and Urban Planning Commission of Tehran City Council, referred to recent earthquakes in the country, stating, 'We are concerned about dilapidated buildings during an earthquake.' A noteworthy point regarding the statements of this Ministry of Roads official is the statistics provided by the secretary of the 'National Natural Hazards Working Group' in August 2020. Ali Bitahai stated that out of approximately 23 million residential units across the country, nearly 10 million, or about 45 to 47 percent of buildings, are masonry structures that lack a skeleton. Warnings about the potential consequences of an earthquake in Tehran; Deputy of the International Earthquake Research Institute: Officials are shirking their responsibilities. Earthquake in Damavand; eastern Tehran province trembled. The death toll from building collapses in Tehran has reached four, two of the victims were police officers. Warning from the Engineering System Organization; a thousand towers in Tehran are at risk of fire. Renewed warnings about the capital; 12,000 buildings have been constructed on Tehran's fault lines.