|
|
|
Professor Polat Gulkan, of the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, said that he and others had given specific warnings about the safety of buildings.
"I think [that the effects of this earthquake] typifies the urban sprawl in the industrial heartland of Turkey," said Professor Gulkan.
"The rate of urbanisation has been very high and unfortunately the control and supervision of the building quality has not been as good as it should be.
"Izmet is just one typical settlement that is vulnerable to earthquakes and other forms of natural disaster."
Building code
Turkey has a strict building code which includes comprehensive regulations for ensuring that new buildings meet modern earthquake standards.
Earthquake experts at various Turkish institutions have also analysed the threat to the country's historic monuments.
But while other nations which lie on or near major fault lines have used engineering advances to reduce casualties, death tolls in Turkey have remained high.
![[ image: width=150]](/olmedia/420000/images/_422646_collapse150.jpg)
Turkish builders have been accused of using poor quality materials as they race to build new homes for a migrating population. In Istanbul alone, which has a population of 12 million, around half of construction work is not subject to official controls.
"The quality of buildings [in Turkey] is highly variable," said Prof Gulkan.
"There are buildings in many industrial or urban areas that are well designed, built and maintained and perfectly capable of withstanding a quake of this magnitude.
"But all the experts in Turkey know that there are many gaps and omissions.
"The building departments of many municipalities cannot cope with the demands for building permits and they cannot control or supervise the building process."
![[ image: width=150]](/olmedia/420000/images/_422646_search150.jpg)
Dr Roger Musson, head of seismic hazards at the British Geological Survey, said that international experts knew of the risks faced by Turkey's buildings.
"There has been a lot of effort to improve the design of major structures but a lot of housing has gone up in the last 20 years without much supervision," he said.
"The buildings have been very bad and they have been put up in very dangerous places, on top of soft sediments for instance, and it is this sort of building which is going to be the nightmare.
"There is a Turkish building code which governs this but you cannot guarantee that people follow it to the letter. It is a question of economics."
"It is well known that Izmet is in a very hazardous area and has experienced several events of this magnitude or even higher," added Prof Gulkan.
"Preparedness in terms of construction practices should have been in place."
Country profiles
Turkey quake kills hundreds
(17 Aug 99 | Europe)
Department of Earthquake Engineering, Bogazici University
International Conference on Mediterranean earthquake hazards
Middle East Technical University
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Violence greets Clinton visit
Russian forces pound Grozny
EU fraud: a billion dollar bill
Next steps for peace
Cardinal may face loan-shark charges
Vodafone takeover battle heats up
(From Business)
Trans-Turkish pipeline deal signed
French party seeks new leader
Jube tube debut
Athens riots for Clinton visit
UN envoy discusses Chechnya in Moscow
Solana new Western European Union chief
Moldova's PM-designate withdraws
Chechen government welcomes summit
In pictures: Clinton's violent welcome
Georgia protests over Russian 'attack'
UN chief: No Chechen 'catastrophe'
New arms control treaty for Europe
Mannesmann fights back
(From Business)
EU fraud -- a billion-dollar bill
New moves in Spain's terror scandal
EU allows labelling of British beef
UN seeks more security in Chechnya
Athens riots for Clinton visit
Russia's media war over Chechnya
Homeless suffer as quake toll rises
Analysis: East-West relations must shift