Interview of Elkhan Asadov, Deputy Head of the State Agency for Construction Safety Control of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) to APA

- The earthquake in Turkey saddens all of us, but also makes us think.

Is Azerbaijan ready for serious earthquakes?

- A very large part of our country is located in the 8-point area, and a little more than 20 percent of it is in the 9-point area.

This places a great responsibility on the subjects operating in the construction sector - investors, designers and builders.

Of course, it is impossible to be completely protected from any disaster.

However, we strive to get out of natural disasters with as little damage as possible.

There are buildings in Azerbaijan whose age is measured by 100 years.

Among them are architectural monuments of the Middle Ages, buildings built in the first half of the 20th century.

Which they were not built according to any seismic norms.

Even in the first half of the Soviet era, since there were no seismic standards in Azerbaijan at all, such a requirement was not put forward for the buildings of that time.

Seismic requirements were formulated for the first time in the country in the early 1960s, and the demand for resistance to a 7-point earthquake was set.

The construction of buildings in accordance with seismic requirements also begins from that date.

In the 80s, it was slightly improved to 8 points.

Finally, in 2010, the national construction norms of the Republic of Azerbaijan were created in the field of construction in seismic areas.

This is called "Construction in Seismic Regions" State Building Regulations.

The new construction norms impose more than 30 percent stricter requirements on designers and builders than the norms left over from the Soviet era.

In 2010, the national construction norms of the Republic of Azerbaijan were created in the field of construction in seismic areas.

This is called "Construction in Seismic Regions" State Building Regulations.

The new construction norms impose more than 30 percent stricter requirements on designers and builders than the norms left over from the Soviet era.

In 2010, the national construction norms of the Republic of Azerbaijan were created in the field of construction in seismic areas.

This is called "Construction in Seismic Regions" State Building Regulations.

The new construction norms impose more than 30 percent stricter requirements on designers and builders than the norms left over from the Soviet era.

The construction boom in Baku started in the late 90s, and at the time of the November 25, 2000 earthquake, we had quite a few newly built buildings.

At that time, none of the newly built buildings were damaged in the 4.5 magnitude and 6.5 intensity earthquake, and even the structural elements were not damaged.

With that in mind, I can say that today's buildings built according to even more stringent building codes and regulations are probably more durable than they are.

Secondly, it should be noted that control mechanisms have also changed during this period.

In 2013, the "Urban Planning and Construction Code", of which I was one of the authors, was adopted by the Milli Majlis and signed by the President and entered into force.

Today, construction entities operate on the basis of this code.

Normative-legal and normative-technical documents were also adopted in accordance with the Urban Planning and Construction Code.

On the basis of these documents, the design process, the construction permit process, and the construction control process are carried out, which are quite strict and more perfect than the control forms from the Soviet era to 2013.

- Director General of the Republican Seismological Service Center under ANAS, Gurban Yetirmişli, said at the press conference about the earthquake in Turkey that buildings built after 2019 were not requested to provide a seismological opinion.

This is quite a serious statement.

That is, the buildings built since 2019 were given permission without a seismological opinion?

How was the construction of buildings allowed without this opinion?

- I know that this issue has created a great agitation among the population.

Although I myself am away from social networks, my relatives and friends say that they are writing about it on social networks and a great panic has arisen.

I would like to note that in our construction norms and rules, at the same time, in the code, the seismic requirements at the design stage are sufficiently reflected and are observed.

No normative legal document provides for an application to the Seismological Service Center and obtaining an opinion from them.

This is not even in the normative documents from the Soviet era.

But in practice there was such a thing, and yes, it lasted until 2019.

The main tasks of the Seismological Service Center are to prepare the seismic map of the republic, the seismic micro-zoning maps of existing settlements, conducting scientific research in the field of seismology,

related to the prediction of earthquakes and other such issues.

The design and construction of individual objects cannot be carried out on the basis of these maps prepared by the center.

- So it is clear that these maps do not have any importance during construction?

How is the earthquake-proof construction of the building determined?

- These maps are used in the preparation of general plans of territories and master plans of residential areas in urban planning.

Because these maps are general in nature and are not able to fully reveal the nature of specific areas.

According to our code and construction norms, seismic areas are determined based on these maps, and every investor knows whether his area is a seismic zone or not when he starts construction.

Then, every investor, designer conducts engineering-geological research in the area where specific construction will be carried out before the project.

At this time, samples are taken from the rocks, their properties are investigated, analyzes are carried out, seismic evaluation of the area and reports are prepared.

Based on the seismic sensitivity of the specific area, it is determined which building is suitable for construction.

Then this report is submitted to the Geological Center operating under the State Agency for Construction Safety Control of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, where the geological exploration works are carried out with the correct methodology and the seismic background assessment is checked again.

The feedback is then submitted to the designers, who calculate the structure of the building according to the results of the geological survey.

After the project is ready, it is submitted to the State General Expertise Department, including the geological report, and there it is examined again.

As you can see, these issues are thoroughly researched and triple checked.

the assessment of the seismic background is re-examined.

The feedback is then submitted to the designers, who calculate the structure of the building according to the results of the geological survey.

After the project is ready, it is submitted to the State General Expertise Department, including the geological report, and there it is examined again.

As you can see, these issues are thoroughly researched and triple checked.

the assessment of the seismic background is re-examined.

The feedback is then submitted to the designers, who calculate the structure of the building according to the results of the geological survey.

After the project is ready, it is submitted to the State General Expertise Department, including the geological report, and there it is examined again.

As you can see, these issues are thoroughly researched and triple checked.

- Mr. Elkhan, there are also private companies engaged in geological prospecting.

But how reliable is their research?

The customer can try to write an opinion that the condition of the rocks is more favorable for construction in order to spend less money.

- It is true that there are private companies in the country that conduct geological exploration independently.

However, they perform the work, the inspection and control is not carried out by the companies, but, as I mentioned, by the relevant state agency.

Almost all state project institutes operating in our country have geological service laboratories and departments.

- Gurban Yetirmişli also said that one block of the multi-story building being built in Azerbaijan, especially in Baku, is in the 8-point earthquake zone, and the other is in the 9-point earthquake zone.

If there are such cases, why is it not prevented?

- The maps compiled by the Seismological Service Center cover the territories of 4-5 districts and regions.

It is possible that two buildings near each other in the area of ​​8 points on the seismic maps may be required to calculate 8 and 9 points.

This is reflected in the geological prospecting work and taken into account in the design.

However, as I said, it is impossible to build individual objects on the basis of seismic maps.

- There are reports that the relief and tectonic structure of Baku do not allow the construction of buildings higher than 9 floors.

How valid is this information?

Can the issue of banning the construction of buildings above 9 floors in Baku come up?

- No, it's not like that.

These ideas are unfounded.

Until 2010, it was allowed to build reinforced concrete frame buildings up to 39 meters in the country.

After the improvement of construction standards, the construction of reinforced concrete monolithic frame buildings with a height of 58 meters is allowed.

Today, even buildings 75 meters and higher can be built using metal structures in Azerbaijan.

From a technical point of view, there are no obstacles here.

Only, everything should be done within the framework of norms and rules.

After geologists work in the area, they determine what type of building should be built in the area.

It doesn't matter how many floors it has anymore.

If the master plan allows, if the designer designs a building with 20-30 or even 40-50 floors, he should calculate it to the required score.

Whether permission to build high-rise buildings in Baku is considered from the point of view of urban planning.

From a technical point of view, if the design is done correctly and the construction is carried out according to the project, there is no fear of this.

You probably remember the earthquake that happened in Japan in the past years.

There was an earthquake of about 9 magnitude, and as you can see, none of the 70-90-story buildings in the area collapsed.

Only low-rise old buildings collapsed.

Human casualties were mainly caused by the tsunami caused by the earthquake.

Therefore, the design was carried out correctly and the construction works were carried out according to the project.

You probably remember the earthquake that happened in Japan in the past years.

There was an earthquake of about 9 magnitude, and as you can see, none of the 70-90-story buildings in the area collapsed.

Only low-rise old buildings collapsed.

Human casualties were mainly caused by the tsunami caused by the earthquake.

Therefore, the design was carried out correctly and the construction works were carried out according to the project.

You probably remember the earthquake that happened in Japan in the past years.

There was an earthquake of about 9 magnitude, and as you can see, none of the 70-90-story buildings in the area collapsed.

Only low-rise old buildings collapsed.

Human casualties were mainly caused by the tsunami caused by the earthquake.

Therefore, the design was carried out correctly and the construction works were carried out according to the project.

- Speaking of design, how is it checked during the construction process whether the works are carried out according to the project or not?

Sometimes it is claimed that works outside the project are carried out.

- Our control functions do not end with the expertise of the project or geology.

After the project is submitted to the General State Expertise Office, all parts are examined, including reliability and durability.

After that, the relevant authorities give permission for construction.

In the city of Baku, this is the State Urban Planning and Architecture Committee, and in other parts of the republic, it is the local executive authority.

During the construction period, our General State Construction Inspectorate regularly carries out inspections.

From the day the area is fenced until the construction operation is allowed, there is control at all stages.

In addition, in addition to state control in construction, there are three other types of control.

The first of these is author control.

The team working on the project includes an architect, designer, ventilation, electrical specialist, etc.

there are individuals.

During the construction period, the site must have an author control log.

All authors must monitor their field during the course of the work and make appropriate registrations in the journal.

The next type of control is technical control.

This is the customer's control.

It controls whether sufficient quality building materials are used in construction and other issues.

The third control is operational control of the construction organization.

He is also responsible for the discipline of workers, correct processing of construction materials, timely delivery and other such issues.

When our inspectors enter the construction site, they first check whether these three construction control functions are implemented in the facility.

If one of them is not implemented and registration is not made in the journal, the construction is stopped.

We also have our own control log in that area, and if there are comments, they are written and promptly entered into our electronic database.

That is, for the last 15 years, I can say that the construction quality is at a very high level and is resistant to any earthquake that may occur in the territory of Azerbaijan.

- We are witnessing the construction of high-rise buildings in the place of one-story and five-story buildings on the Bayil slope.

Will these not lead to any problems in the future?

- Each of them is implemented on a project basis.

Of course, Baku has its own landslide area plan.

This plan was prepared by the Geological Exploration Service of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

Constructions in those areas have been stopped.

As an exception, constructions important for the state can be carried out there.

And after certain preparatory measures have been taken... Also, in several places of Baku, there are cracks that appeared after the earthquake, and construction is not carried out in those areas today.

Such a situation exists on Abdulla Shaig Street, which is parallel to Narimanov Avenue.

In that area, the old one-story houses from the Soviet era and before are being demolished and a park will be built in their place.

- How many buildings are there in the city of Baku, whose construction has been completed and, despite the fact that they are inhabited, the certificate of acceptance for operation has not been issued?

What are the main reasons for not issuing a certificate of acceptance?

- In the past, there were many such buildings both in Baku city and in other areas of the republic.

Even in the last years of the Soviet era, buildings were built that were not fully completed or completed but not put into operation.

Also, in the first years of our independence, when our economic situation was not good and our legislative base was not developed, many constructions were carried out.

Those buildings were built almost unsupervised and settled without being put into operation.

After the creation of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, these cases began to be prevented to some extent.

In 2019, there was a decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the simplified commissioning of buildings that were not put into operation but were occupied.

Researches were conducted before that.

Upon further refinement, we found that

There are about 500 such buildings and complexes.

Some of them did not even have permission documents.

Most of them were put into operation by removing their defects.

At that time, a lot of great work was done.

There were complexes that consisted of 7-8 or even 10 buildings.

Today, only 67 of the multi-apartment buildings that have not been put into operation remain.

This is related to the fact that some of the people who built those buildings are not alive today, and some have been convicted for various criminal acts.

So there is no one to fix the defects.

A decision cannot be made on the commissioning of these buildings without removing the defects.

All information about these buildings, including information on costs for eliminating defects, has been submitted to higher authorities.

Maybe,

- What are the defects found in the buildings you mentioned mainly related to?

If elimination is not possible, what action will be taken?

- The main defects are the non-use of stairwells that prevent smoke during a fire.

Or, one elevator is installed, two are not installed, etc.

It is possible to eliminate them in principle.

But when there are problems that cannot be eliminated, the issue of demolishing that building arises.

- Buildings built in the capital during the Soviet era have already experienced a strong earthquake once.

If there is an earthquake next time, will those buildings be able to pass the test?

How do you assess the condition of these buildings?

- The biggest problem in our buildings built 30-40 years ago or 1 year ago is the interventions and changes made by residents and owners without permission.

Today, in Baku and the territory of the republic, we are faced with such cases as the expansion of rooms by destroying the panels of large-block, concrete panel buildings built in the 70s, or opening doors by destroying the foundation in the basement, and dismantling certain structures to change the layout of the apartment.

I would say that this is our biggest problem in terms of earthquake resistance.

I believe that the fight against this should be made even tougher.

According to the legislation, each owner or custodian is responsible for the protection of buildings.

Even if there is no intervention, buildings with some defects, cracks,

- In the earthquake that occurred in Turkey, the buildings were completely destroyed.

The reason for this is the poor quality of construction materials.

What is the situation in Azerbaijan?

Does the composition of the materials used in the construction of buildings meet the standards or not?

Is it controlled?

- Construction materials are checked by our Scientific Research Institute named after Sadykh Dadashov.

Samples are taken and analyzed from every concrete mixer that enters the construction site.

Also, the quality of the armature material and brand compliance issues are checked.

In addition, the imported elevators, doors and windows, plumbing materials, etc.

all of them are analyzed by the building inspector for compliance with the certificate, and then their use is allowed.

- The regions of Karabakh and East Zangezur, freed from occupation, are also considered seismically active areas.

How is state control of the construction works carried out in those areas ensured?

- At the level of state control of construction in the center of Baku, control is carried out in our liberated territories.

All our specialists have already been deployed in the Karabakh zone in accordance with the demand.

In Shusha, we have opened the laboratory of the Scientific Research Institute named after Sadykh Dadashov.

The quality of the construction works and construction materials carried out in that area is fully controlled.

As I said, it makes no difference to us whether the construction is carried out in the center or outskirts of Baku, or in other parts of the republic.

Control is fully implemented.