Poor Waterproofing, Not Earthquakes, Kills Buildings

Waterproofing deficiencies in buildings triple earthquake fatalities due to corroded and deteriorated reinforcing steel in foundations. The ongoing neglect of waterproofing indicates that lessons were not learned from the major Marmara earthquake. Murat Özcan, Member of the Board of Directors at Canpa Şirketler Grubu, characterized buildings without waterproofing as "vertical graves" and stated: "64 percent of the buildings destroyed in the Marmara earthquake would not have collapsed if they had waterproofing; deaths and injuries would have been far lower." Buildings that lose structural capacity due to corroded reinforcing steel caused by lack of waterproofing triple earthquake fatalities. Buildings without waterproofing are described as "vertical graves." Murat Özcan, Member of the Board of Directors at Canpa Şirketler Grubu, a leading insulation sector organization, drew attention to the fact that 64 percent of buildings destroyed in the 1999 Marmara earthquake collapsed due to rust and corrosion of the reinforcing steel inside the load-bearing concrete caused by inadequate or absent waterproofing, and emphasized that waterproofing is a vital issue that can never be neglected. Speaking on the occasion of 1 March Earthquake Week, Özcan noted that an uninsulated building loses its load-bearing capacity in 10 years and stated that by implementing waterproofing in buildings, significant loss of life in earthquakes can be prevented. While waterproofing is legally mandatory in developed countries with seismic risk, Özcan pointed out that the absence of such a requirement in Turkey, where 92 percent of the land area is in the earthquake belt, increases the risk of destruction in disasters, and recommended that those who want to live comfortably in their homes without fear of earthquakes first check whether their buildings have waterproofing.

"Buildings without waterproofing are vertical graves"…

Özcan emphasized that buildings without waterproofing are essentially "vertical graves" because corroded and deteriorated reinforcing steel in foundations causes them to collapse easily during earthquakes, and said the following: "Following the earthquake, 79 percent of 55,651 residences and commercial buildings examined by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Damage Assessment Commission were found to be damaged. The cause of damage in 64 percent of these buildings was corrosion caused by moisture. In this earthquake alone, according to official figures, approximately 20,000 people died, thousands were injured or disabled. 16 million people were affected by the earthquake in one way or another. If these buildings had had waterproofing, we could have emerged from a disaster of this scale with far less damage. Research clearly shows that if waterproofing had been applied, 64 percent of these collapsed buildings would have remained standing. That is, deaths and injuries would have decreased proportionally. Corroded and rusted reinforcing steel becomes almost powder at the slightest tremor. In the earthquakes we have experienced, most buildings collapsed this way. In other words, the collapse starts from the foundation. So it is not the earthquake that kills, but the building—or rather, the building without waterproofing."

Waiting for the big earthquake, while major neglect continues…

Exactly 16 years have passed since the major Marmara earthquake. According to official data, in the 7.4 magnitude earthquake, 285,211 homes and 42,902 commercial establishments were damaged; 17,480 people died and 505 people were disabled under the wreckage of collapsed buildings. According to unofficial information, approximately 50,000 people died, close to 100,000 people were injured more or less severely, 133,683 buildings collapsed, and approximately 600,000 people were left homeless. Much was discussed and many promises were made for years after the major earthquake. However, despite the constantly expected major Istanbul earthquake, it appears that insufficient precautions have been taken. Due to tripling earthquake fatalities, the reality of "buildings without waterproofing"—which poses the greatest risk in this regard—persists. Murat Özcan pointed out that millions of people in Turkey live in apartment buildings without waterproofing in their foundations, saying: "Living in buildings without waterproofing is a serious risk, especially in earthquakes. Instead of taking precautions, we just wait, wondering when the earthquake will come."