Experts are concerned about seismic situation in Yerevan

Overload of the center of Yerevan with high-rise buildings can result in seismic risks because an increase of the number of high-rise buildings in the center of the city in case of an intensive earthquake may cause "domino effect". This was reported to the journalists by Alvaro Antonyan, Director of Seismic Service of Armenia.

According to Antonyan, seismic activity in Armenia is currently within normal limits, i.e. for the period of the last three years the total number of 120 earthquakes has been registered which makes 40 - 42 earthquakes annually. Nevertheless, he expressed his greatest concern with the situation forming in Yerevan.

"In case of a strong and destructive earthquake newly built high-rise houses may fall and through each other down as it happens in domino". Antonyan declared.

Mikjael Melkumyan, DPhil, professor, Chairman of Armenian Association of quakeproof building, expressed similar concern about seismic situation in the center of Yerevan. He thinks it is necessary to take measures for unloading of the city's center.

According to Melkumyan, there are 30 - 32 thousand old private houses many of which have been built without observance of essential construction standards, seven more thousand buildings were erected within the framework of capital construction in the Soviet period and also do not meet the demands. "All these buildings have outlived their usefulness", he declared.

Melkumyan called for remembering the tragic lessons of the destructive earthquake of December, 7, 1988.