Publication

Abstract : Over half of India’s territory zone is prone to seismic tremors, and the Indian subcontinent has encountered many earthquakes in the past. This study focuses on the vulnerability assessment of buildings by Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) in selected regions of Tier II city of south India—Coimbatore. The building typologies present in various city regions (normally designated as Corporation wards) and potential seismic vulnerability of buildings in each city region (ward) is determined by RVS methodology. The RVS vulnerability scores obtained for all the wards included in this study are low, indicating that these city regions are potentially vulnerable with substantial to very heavy damages in the event of an earthquake. The outcome of the study is useful in preparing efficient earthquake policies at the local level. Further assessment and strengthening are recommended for the buildings in these selected wards with high seismic hazard.