DAMAGE DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR OF BUILDINGS IN BHUJ EARTHQUAKE -2001

Abstract

The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 was a devastating natural disaster that resulted in significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India. The earthquake, which occurred on January 26, 2001, had a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.7 and resulted in the loss of over 20,000 lives and widespread damage to buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. In the aftermath of the earthquake, there was a need to understand the distribution and behaviour of building damage to develop effective strategies for earthquake risk reduction. The objective of this project was to analyse the distribution and behaviour of building damage in the Bhuj earthquake of 2001, for understanding vulnerability of building typologies for future earthquakes. To achieve this objective, ArcGIS was used to analyze the distribution of different building typologies in the study area, which included the talukas of Bhuj, Anjar, Bhachau, Rapar, Gandhidham, Mandvi, and Mundra in the Kutch district and Ahmadabad city. Damage data for building typologies was collected from various sources, including the Kutch collector office, GSDMA, and different blocks. The data were collected using various methods, including field surveys, remote sensing, and secondary data sources such as census and other government records. The data were then analysed to identify the distribution and behavior of building damage in the study area. The analysis revealed that the distribution and behavior of building damage varied significantly by building typology. It has been found that the most vulnerable building typologies were adobe, mud, and timber buildings (KUTCHA), while reinforced concrete and steel buildings were less vulnerable to damage (PUCCA). Along with this the distribution of building damage was also influenced by several factors, including the proximity to the epicenter, the age and quality of construction, and the soil and geology of the area.