IT was 19 years ago this month that the collapse of Margalla Towers in Islamabad (Oct 8, 2005) in the wake of a powerful earthquake had resulted in the loss of 72 lives. The mid-rise building was the only one in Islamabad that fell because of the earthquake, raising serious concerns about its construction quality and safety standards.

The main reasons were poor quality of construction — including the use of substandard material, unauthorised expansion of the building (an extra tower was added that was not in the original plan), and a complete lack of technical super-vision by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Although the builder was convicted by a court in Islamabad after a protracted legal battle fought by the residents, he was let go after a while. The government never released the report of a detailed investigation which was completed within a few months after the disaster. This was 19 years ago, mind you.

After the tragedy, the building codes were revised to inco-rporate more stringent safety measures across the board, including updated guidelines related to the use of material, structural design, and construction techniques, to make buildings earthquake-resilient.

However, the supervision system was not improved. Therefore, compliance with the construction codes has remained elusive.

Disasters like the 2005 earthquake come unannounced. Pakistan is prone to earthquakes and almost all its major cities are in the high-risk zone. If a similar tragedy strikes again, it will lead to unimaginable loss of lives and property. The relevant authorities should immediately start working on a comprehensive plan to enforce the building codes, start public awareness programmes, and initiating a campaign to inspect the already constructed buildings to assess their quality of construction.

Dr Farid Midhet
Ex-resident of Margalla Towers
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2024