[FREE IRAN Project] In The Spirit Of Cyrus The Great

[Reuters]

Tehran Mood Darkens as Doomsday Quake Fear Spreads

January 02, 2004
Reuters
Parinoosh Arami

TEHRAN -- The Bam earthquake has sent shockwaves of fear rippling through Tehran with chilling visions of what may happen to the capital if the 'big one' hits.

Sitting on a major fault line, Tehran was rocked by a powerful quake in 1830, which killed tens of thousands. Scientists monitoring small daily tremors say it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes the city of 12 million.

"It scares the living daylights out of me to see what happened to Bam and think about what's in store for us when a big quake like that hits Tehran," said Reza, 22, a photographer.

The loss of 30,000 lives in Bam -- a third of its population -- has darkened the mood in Tehran, casting a pall over its normally resilient populace. Sombre music filling radio and television airwaves only adds to a sense of gloom.

Experts say a quake as strong as in Bam, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, would mean doomsday. Death toll estimates range from 400,000 to a million or more.

"People are worried," said Shirzad Bozorgmehr, 59, managing editor of Iran News daily who lived through earthquakes in California for 25 years before returning 10 years ago.

"I know people in apartment buildings who all of a sudden are looking to buy land to build on so they can be sure their house will be earthquake proof," he added.

The daunting realisation that Tehran buildings are in such poor shape and that contractors often ignore regulations with impunity has sent shivers down many spines, especially in upscale north Tehran where the fault line crosses the city.

NO TIME TO WASTE

"I'm afraid my house wasn't built well enough to protect my family from earthquakes," said Mohammad Ali Azarabadi, 60, a physician. "I will have it reinforced. Bam showed us all that the quake wasn't the problem. Shoddy building is the problem."

Bahaeddin Adab, member of parliament's construction committee, said a study by Japanese scientists concluded an earthquake of 7 on the Richter scale would destroy Tehran, as one that magnitude did in 1830 when 45,000 in the region died.

"There's a lot of anxiety and even panic out there after Bam," he told Reuters. "We have no time to waste. We should demolish fragile buildings. Unsafe building must stop now."

A casual glance at some ramshackle architecture causes dread even among untrained eyes and makes engineers cringe.

Mehran Amiri, a civil engineer, said strict regulations to prevent structural failure have been in place for seven years, but are ignored as contractors put profits before safety.

"Schools, hospitals and state buildings must be checked and made earthquake-resistant," he said.

A Tehran newspaper, Sharq, reported only five of the 32 fire stations were built to withstand a strong quake. Bahram Akasheh, professor of geophysics at Tehran University, said a strong tremor would destroy 80 percent of the city's buildings.

But Touraj, a Tehran businessman, said he wasn't worried.

"It's just nonsense, all this panic about an earthquake in Tehran. No one can predict it. Fear of a quake is like fear of death. You can't live if you only worry about dying."