On March 28, a powerful earthquake hit Myanmar and its cataclysmic shockwaves reached Bangkok, causing the State Audit Office building to collapse. Since most Thais lack an understanding about earthquakes, the Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) and Chulalongkorn University organised forums to provide knowledge to the public.
At the forum "Coping With Earthquake", organised by TSRI, Prof Pennueng Vanichchai, director of the Earthquake Research Centre of Thailand (EARTH), stated that 20 years ago, EARTH had predicted that the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar would cause a disastrous earthquake.
Prof Pennueng explained that the quake caused by the Sagaing Fault is one of three major scenarios EARTH predicted but nobody believed. The other two earthquake scenarios are along fault lines in Kanchanaburi and the Arakan subduction zone.
The fault line in Kanchanaburi, which produced a 5.9-magnitude earthquake in 1983, is approximately 200km from Bangkok. According to EARTH, this fault line can trigger an earthquake of 7.0- to 7.5-magnitude.
Meanwhile, located on the western coast of Myanmar, the Arakan subduction zone can cause an earthquake of 8.5- to 9-magnitude. This subduction zone has produced several earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 or greater, with most recent occurring in 1762.
These three earthquake scenarios were predicted to occur and affect Thailand, but the specific year could not be predicted.
Prof Pennueng explained that although the impact of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar and caused extensive damage to buildings and resulted in casualties should have been less intense in Bangkok due to distance, but it was still felt strongly due to the city's soft soil basin.
EARTH researchers knew two decades ago that Bangkok's soft soil basin would lead to severe damage from shockwaves from a nearby earthquake. Their research led to the revision of the Building Control Act (No.4) B.E. 2550 (2007), a law that requires strict adherence to building standards to ensure safety.
"Thailand's building standards are similar to global standards which focus on structural safety. Therefore, the main structure must be able to support the weight of the building, so people are less likely to be in danger. However, the law does not state that walls and partitions must not crack, ceilings must not fall, or windows must not break. That is not the main objective of building design. However, after this earthquake, we may have to adjust the standards of these non-structural parts because if they are damaged, we also will have problems," explained Prof Pennueng.
A collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar. ZAW HTUN
Due to the earthquake, many hospitals also had to evacuate patients. In future, hospitals could be better prepared if they are equipped with seismic vibration meters.
Assoc Prof Teraphan Ornthammarath, a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mahidol University, revealed that his team developed seismic vibration meters and tested them at two hospitals in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai three years ago.
"In the past, we had to import a seismic measuring device which cost around 300,000 baht," he said. "We now have developed our own seismic vibration meters and tested them in two hospitals in the North where earthquakes occur frequently. We have also installed sensors at several locations in hospitals.
"One month after the sensors were installed, there was a 4.2-magnitude earthquake in Chiang Mai at night. That night, the signal was sent to my mobile phone in real time. The signals are sent to building engineers only through an app and not everyone because people may panic. The building engineers will process the data and decide if patients and hospital staff need to evacuate or not.
"During the recent earthquake, the sensors showed strong vibrations so we advised the hospital to evacuate the building. Our results have been successful and we will be installing this device in more buildings. Many organisations need it, but we do not have enough team members."
Many residents of apartments and condominiums have also become concerned about whether their building is strong enough to withstand an earthquake. Prof Amorn Pimanmas, president of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association, explained that building damage after an earthquake can be classified into four levels: slight damage, moderate damage, heavy damage and very heavy damage.
While slight damage usually means hairline cracks, moderate damage includes minor cracks. Prof Amorn suggested that people can identify minor cracks or large cracks by trying to insert an ID card or a credit card into them. If a card can be inserted into a crack, it is considered large. However, minor cracks are only cosmetic and do not affect building structure.
At the heavy damage level, the cement of a building column is peeled off and the steel exposed. The column must be repaired immediately. Prof Amorn explained that if the steel is still straight, the column can be repaired without adding more steel because it has not been deformed.
At the very heavy damage level, concrete is chipped down to the core, causing the steel to become warped. This is considered structural damage and the column must be reinforced with new steel wires placed over the old steel wires, tied together and cemented.
Speaking about the State Audit Office tower which collapsed during the earthquake, Prof Amorn said: "People have different opinions about the collapsed building because they saw videos and photos from different angles. In one video, the columns collapsed first while another video shows that a lift shaft was the first to crumble. To learn the cause of the collapse, we have to look at images frame by frame to locate the trigger point."
Residents of damaged apartments and condominiums want to know who will be responsible for the damage. At the forum "Chula The Impact", organised by Chulalongkorn University, Assoc Prof Angkanawadee Pinkaew, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, advised residents to find out if the condominium management has insurance. If so, people should check if the insurance covers only common property or residents' property as well.
"Residents have to identify the cause of the damage. If the cause of the damage is an earthquake which is a natural disaster, no one is responsible for it," said Assoc Prof Angkanawadee.
"In future, before purchasing a property, buyers should ask the condominium management to assess the structural strength of the condominium. Once you own the property, you are responsible for damages yourself. The condominium management will only take care of the common property."
In the case of the State Audit Office, Assoc Prof Angkanawadee explained that according to the standard government contract, the builder is liable for any damages that occur during the construction that has not yet been handed over to the government. Therefore, the contractor shall be responsible for all damages, including force majeure.
Prof Panya Jarusiri, a lecturer at the Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, revealed that there are 16 active fault lines, with some blind thrust faults, in Thailand. These fault lines pose threats for earthquakes.
"People can search to see the locations of these 16 fault lines at dmr.go.th. To avoid potential damage, people should avoid buying land or building near faults," he said.
