Armenian government should pay greater attention to earthquake-resistant construction

YEREVAN, May 13. / ARKA /. The president of Armenian Academy of Sciences, Radik Martiroisan, urged today the government to pay greater attention to the problem of earthquake-resistant construction, because Armenia is located in a seismically active area.

Martirosian was a keynote speaker at an international conference of young scientists on modern problems of geophysics, seismic resistance and engineering seismology, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Academy.

According to the National Center of Earthquake Protection, most of the high-rise buildings in Yerevan, built after 1988 are designed to withstand earthquakes up to 9 points. Experts point out that the dilapidated buildings across the country are in risk. This list includes also schools. Armenian seismologists note that the construction of any building or structure must necessarily be preceded by special seismological research.

The current level of seismic safety in Armenia is assessed as satisfactory. The country has formed seismic protection traditions due to a large number of earthquakes, but experts say the system is in need of seismic upgrades.

The four-day international conference has brought to Yerevan young scientists from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Conference participants will also be able to explore the latest achievements of the participating countries and exchange knowledge and experience in this field.-0-