Tremors threaten old buildings to crumble in Algeria

The head of technical center for building control, Hamid Azzouz yesterday revealed that the technical control bureaus wound up the census operation of old buildings in major cities like Algiers, Oran, Constantine and Annaba, as a first step towards the generalization of this operation at a larger scale.

• Assessments were presented to the housing minister who will decide on these buildings whether to demolish or restore them and proceed to the historical classification of some of theme that go back to the 17 and 18 century.
• In a declaration to “Echourouk” M. Azzouz declared that 17% of the endangered buildings due to successive earthquakes go back to the colonial period, whereas 70% of modern constructions “do not represent any danger for being built according to anti-seismic standards”. By and large, 8% of the overall buildings nationwide are set to be demolished which accounts for some 6.5 millions housing units.
• He added that the danger lies in the northern part of Algeria on the quake belt zone that stretches from the east to the west over a distance of 150 km saying that the housing ministry is thinking about a long term strategy to “minimize the quake threat”.
• He ,none the less, belittled the danger that is threatening the old building in Algeria if compared to other developed countries and said “ Algeria is by far safer” adding tat the authorities took all the necessary steps to restore old buildings and “ protect its citizens.