LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Society

Experts suggest building renovations after Taiwan quake

1
2016-02-16 08:34Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping
Heavy machines work at the rescue site of the Wei Guan building toppled by a strong quake in Tainan, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 10, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Zhang Guojun)

Heavy machines work at the rescue site of the Wei Guan building toppled by a strong quake in Tainan, southeast China's Taiwan, Feb. 10, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Zhang Guojun)

Experts said Monday at a forum that local authorities in Taiwan should step up renovation of old buildings to protect people from earthquakes, after a quake in Tainan earlier this month claimed 116 lives.

Hsu Wen-hsiung, professor with Tamkang University, said more than 52 percent of buildings in Taiwan were built more than 30 years ago. In the cities of Taipei and New Taipei alone, there are more than a million households living in such buildings.

An earthquake of more than 6-magnitude on the Richter scale will put people living in those buildings in danger, Hsu said, suggesting that local government make plans to repair or rebuild those buildings as soon as possible.

In the 6.7-magnitude quake that struck Tainan on Feb. 6, a 16-storey building collapsed, completely blocking a six-lane highway and killing 114 among some 380 staying in the building.

Developer of the building Lin Ming-hui was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide, along with two other men from his management team. Local court said last week the building used substandard reinforcing steel bars.

At the scene of the collapsed building, many rectangular commercial cans can be seen inside the walls exposed by the quake, apparently having been used as building material. Polystyrene was also found to have been mixed in with concrete.

Chiu Yi, an expert with the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said while stepping up renovations, laws and regulations on construction investment must also be improved to make sure that the whole construction process is under proper supervision.

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.